Economy
UK Court Permits Nigerians to Sue Shell for Pollution Claims
By Adedapo Adesanya
A supreme court in the United Kingdom has ruled that the people of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria can make pollution claims against Anglo-Dutch energy giant, Royal Dutch Shell, in English courts.
The ruling overturned a 2017 decision against the Ogale and Bille communities, who brought legal claims for clean-up and compensation, following decades of repeated spills in the oil-rich region.
The claimants have argued for five years that their case against Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), should be heard in London because they could not expect justice in a Nigerian court.
The UK decision comes two weeks after a court in the Netherlands ordered Shell to compensate Nigerian farmers for oil spills on land in two villages in the Niger Delta after 13 years of legal battles.
Shell Nigeria must compensate the farmers for the losses they suffered due to the oil spills, in the two villages of Goi and Oruma in 2004 and 2005. The court also added that Shell hadn’t done enough to clean up the spills.
Also, six years ago, Shell agreed to pay out £55 million ($83.4 million) to the Bodo community in Nigeria in compensation for two oil spills, which was the largest ever out-of-court settlement relating to Nigerian oil spills.
In their judgment, five judges at Britain’s highest court said the previous decision by the lower court of appeal was a “material error of law” and focused too narrowly on the relationship between Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary.
Shell had argued it could not be held legally responsible for the pollution in the region in southern Nigeria and so the cases should not be heard in England.
Speaking on this, Mr Daniel Leader, from London law firm, Leigh Day, which represents the claimants said, “This Supreme Court judgment gives real hope to the people of Ogale and Bille who have been asking Shell to clean up their oil for years.”
He said he hoped the decision would lead to action from Shell and called the ruling a “watershed moment” to bring multinational companies to account.
“Increasingly impoverished communities are seeking to hold powerful corporate actors to account and this judgment will significantly increase their ability to do so,” he added.
Reacting, Shell said it was disappointed with the ruling. The energy giant has blamed sabotage for oil spills and says crude oil spills caused by theft surged by 41 per cent in 2019.
“Regardless of the cause of a spill, SPDC cleans up and remediates. It also works hard to prevent these sabotage spills, by using technology, increasing surveillance and by promoting alternative livelihoods for those who might damage pipes and equipment,” Shell said in a statement.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has declared that the National Identification Number (NIN) issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has now automatically become a Tax ID for Nigerians.
The service announced this in a public awareness campaign on the new tax laws posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday.
The new tax laws go into effect in two weeks and to ease administration and collection of taxes, NIN, which was introduced as a way of identity, will now serve as Tax ID. This declaration comes amidst concerns over a provision of the tax laws mandating Tax ID for bank account ownership.
With this development, all Nigerians with NIN now automatically have a Tax ID and can be easily brought into the tax net, provided they receive taxable income. The new tax law has set N800,000 per annum earning as the cut-off annual income threshold which the Nigerian state will charge no personal income tax.
For registered businesses, the FIRS said their RC number issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) automatically becomes their tax ID under the new tax system.
According to the FIRS, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) billed to come into force from January 2026, mandates the use of Tax ID for certain transactions.
It, however, noted that this requirement is not new, adding that it has existed since the Finance Act 2019 and has been strengthened under the NTAA.
“The Tax ID unifies all TINS previously issued by FIRS and states IRS into a single identifier.
“For individuals, your NIN automatically serves as your Tax ID, while for registered companies, your CAC RC number is used.
“You do not need a physical card, the Tax ID is a unique number linked directly into your identity,” the FIRS stated.
The FIRS added that the new tax ID systems simplify identification, reduce duplication, closes loophole for tax evasion and ensure fairness so that everyone who earns taxable income contributes their share.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Seplat Energy Plc has completed the conversion of its operated onshore oil and gas assets to the fiscal regime of Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), marking a major regulatory milestone for the company.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the dual-listed Nigerian energy firm said its subsidiaries, Seplat West Limited and Seplat East Onshore Limited, finalised the conversion from the former Petroleum Profits Tax framework to the PIA regime following the fulfilment of all technical and regulatory requirements.
The PIA, signed into law in August 2021, was introduced to modernise governance, improve transparency, attract investment, and make Nigeria’s petroleum fiscal framework more competitive globally.
The conversion covers assets previously held under Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 4, 38, 41 and 53. During the first nine months of 2025, these assets recorded an average working interest production of 42,591 barrels of oil equivalent per day, accounting for approximately 31 per cent of Seplat’s total output.
According to the company listed on both the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the London Stock Exchange, the PIA framework is expected to support increased investment, production growth and improved operational efficiency. The anticipated impact of the conversion had already been factored into Seplat’s medium-term guidance presented at its Capital Markets Day in September 2025.
Seplat noted that it executed Conversion Contracts with its joint venture partners in February 2023 and has since worked closely with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to complete the process. New Petroleum Mining Lease (PML) and Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPL) numbers have now been issued, with PIA-based operations expected to commence from January 1, 2026, subject to regulatory guidance.
Commenting on the development, Chief Executive Officer Roger Brown said the successful conversion reflects the company’s commitment to regulatory compliance and value creation.
“Conversion to the PIA fiscal regime has been an important focus for Seplat, and we are delighted to have delivered, alongside our respective joint venture partners, the conversion of our onshore operated assets within the timeline outlined at our recent Capital Markets Day,” Mr Brown said.
He added that the transition positions the company for improved profitability and stronger cash flow margins in its onshore business.
Seplat also disclosed that it is continuing efforts to convert its offshore assets to the PIA regime, with a target completion date of 2027.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 0.16 per cent on Monday, December 22 as investors showed hunger for unlisted stocks.
Trading data showed that the volume of securities traded at the session surged by 532.9 per cent to 12.6 million units from the previous 1.9 million units, as the value of transactions jumped by 64.3 per cent to N713.6 million from N80.3 million, though the number of deals moderated by 13.5 per cent to 32 deals from the 37 deals recorded in the previous trading session.
Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended the day as the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units sold for N16.4 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 178.9 million units worth N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units transacted for N4.9 billion.
InfraCredit Plc also finished the trading day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion, trailed by Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc with the sale of 1.2 billion units for N420.7 million, and Impresit Bakolori Plc with a turnover of 537.0 million units valued at N524.9 million.
The unlisted securities market printed a price loser, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, which dropped 20 Kobo to sell at N53.80 per share versus last Friday’s closing price of N54.00 per share.
However, the loss was offset by the trio of NASD Plc, Golden Capital Plc, and UBN Property Plc.
NASD Plc gained N5.00 to close at N60.00 per unit versus N55.00 per unit, Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 77 Kobo to N8.45 per share from N7.68 per share, and UBN Property Plc improved by 22 Kobo to N2.43 per unit from N2.21 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation increased by N3.38 billion to N2.125 billion from N2.121 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) grew by 5.65 per cent to 3,552.06 points from 3,546.41 points.
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