Shell's operations in Nigeria

A member of the joint task force, part of the Bodo oil spill clean-up operation, stands near the site of an illegal refinery near the village of Bodo in the Niger Delta

A member of the joint task force, part of the Bodo oil spill clean-up operation, stands near the site of an illegal refinery near the village of Bodo in the Niger Delta, Nigeria August 2,... Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell pioneered Nigeria's oil and gas industry and remains a major investor in the West African country. But over the decades it has come under fire over spills in the Delta region and struggles with oil theft, corruption and oil-fueled violence.

Following are some of the highlights of Shell's history in Nigeria:

1936 - The Royal Dutch Shell Group establishes a Nigerian venture with the precursor company of BP Plc. The first shipment of oil from Nigeria takes place in 1958.

April 1973 - Nigerian government takes a stake in the venture. Over the coming years, the government increases its stake and BP exits.

1979 - The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) is established, incorporating assets of the older Shell-BP consortium. Over time, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation comes to own 55 percent, Shell owns 30 per.

April 1993 - Shell forms Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), which signs Production Sharing Contracts to develop offshore oil and gas interests.

1993 - Shell ceases production in Ogoniland.

November 1995 - Saro-Wiwa and eight other MOSOP leaders are executed by Sani Abacha’s military government on alleged murder charges, to worldwide horror. Nigeria is suspended from the Commonwealth.