WikiLeaks Shell 'revelations' are old news in Nigeria
WikiLeaks revelations about the extent of Shell's "infiltration" within the Nigerian government were this week ever so strongly rebuffed by Nigeria's NNPC spokesperson, Levi Ajuonoma. Clearly a case of "Levi doth protest too much", the vehemence of the official denial merely points to the likely veracity of the claims – ie that Shell has its people in key ministries within the Nigerian government. Yet are the revelations in themselves so shocking?
While clearly the explicit nature of the unguarded comments of the former Shell vice-president, Ann Pickard (who is renowned, ironically, for her less-than-diplomatic tendency for over disclosure and which in the end may have cost her her job), have understandably caused embarrassed consternation in official circles and claims of "told you so" among campaigners, the revelations in themselves do not actually reveal anything scandalously new, or anything that most generally well-informed Nigerians do not already know.… Seguir leyendo »