A north-east man who was held captive for 30 days by Nigerian militants says firms need to win the “hearts and minds” of the local people if they are to bring an end to the trouble.
Nick Roddy – who worked for both Shell and Total during his time in the African oil hub – said that resentment towards the oil majors is palpable.
He found this out at his own expense in May 2007.
The 45-year-old, of Aberdeen, was held deep in the jungle with two other hostages, suffering abuse at the hands of terrifying thugs and fearing every day that they might not make it out alive.
Mr Roddy, an experienced offshore diving safety consultant, said one of his survival tactics was to befriend the men, who were members of the terrorist group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend).
“It was part of our strategy. If you humanise yourself, it makes you harder to shoot,” he said.
He revealed to them that he had a passion for writing, a talent they decided they could use to their advantage.
“They put a black bag on my head, stuck me on a boat and took me away to villages nearby.
“They showed me oil slicks, the pollution, broken oil pipes and their deformed children,” he said.
“I was dragged, paraded through.
“They kept on saying ‘if you get out, you will write about this’,” he added.
Mr Roddy – who has written a novel about the troubles since returning to the north-east – said he felt empathy for the people who have had to stand by and watch as their land has been overrun by oil giants.
Last night he said that a major shift in attitude is needed – but not from the Nigerians.
“These people see traffic brought to a standstill in their hometowns so that western oil workers can get an armed convoy home for lunch – imagine how that would go down in Aberdeen?
“There are huge precautions taken, mainly armed guards, but these create barriers, and also suggest to the locals that these people are worth robbing.
“After leaving the oil majors, I worked for a local company with no protection and I had no problems.
“Without doubt, it is worth being there. But if companies wish to remain there for the long term, I think they need to launch a major hearts and minds campaign to get the local people on their side.”
His comments come as both Shell and ConocoPhillips revealed their own ongoing problems with Nigerian oil operations. Shell revealed they were losing up to 65,000 barrels of oil per day from disruption by thieves in the country, while ConocoPhillips are looking to sell off their Nigerian assets.
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