SHELL In Nigeria - Blood In Our Gastanks.
Money makes the world go round. For some, it means go under.
The following is a transcription I did on Channel Zero's Video-Mag dealing with Shell's involvement in Nigeria. I believe the video was issued 1997, and it can be watched / downloaded here. (There's also part two). For those interested in Nigeria's recent history, go here. I picked up this issue linked to at this site called Believe Without Believing. You'll find the links to this video under The Corporate Globe / "Shell in Nigeria" which also holds a link to a smaller version of part 2 for those of you on dial-ups.
On June 12, 1993, The Federal Republic of Nigeria held presidential elections that would usher in a new attempt at civilian rule. Full of hope and renewed faith, the people of Nigeria went to the polls to cast their votes. As the votes were tallied it became clear that the winner would be Chief Moshood Abiola, but the military under General Babaginda, along with his second in command General Sani Abacha, annulled the elections and denied political power to Abiola. Soon after, Abacha seized power and took control of Nigeria - in true dictatorial fashion had President-elect Abiola arrested and charged with treason. The people of Nigeria are once again living under military rule. "Chief Abiola's election and the eventual swearing in as the President would not have been the final process - it would have started the process. Unless this injustice is corrected there will be no light at the end of the tunnel." - Jumoke Ogunkeyede, Chairman of United Committee to Save Nigeria, New York.
This is more than a story about political dictatorship. Rather it is one of corporate complicity in the suppression of basic human rights and the struggle of a people to win them back.
Jumoke Ogunkeyede: "Abacha is going uncurbed, he's been doing whatever he wanted to do, in Nigeria, in South Africa, in all of Europe, paying for advertising spaces, paying people up to 5 million dollars a month to suppress the voices of democracy. I think you could go back to how ITT and Allende worked together in Chile, and Shell is getting to a situation where they actually are the senior partner in the rulership of Nigeria. Shell is importing ammunition for the government of Nigeria, to kill the people of Nigeria,..., and actually if you look at the bullet that killed Mrs. Abiola, it probably could be traced to one of those imported for the government of Nigeria by Shell."
Since 1958, when Shell first struck oil in Nigeria's Ogoniland, they have extracted an estimated US $ 30 billion worth of oil from the region. The 500,000 Ogoni farmers and fishermen received little from Shell except a ravaged environment. Once fertile farmland has been laid waste by oil spills and acid rain. The Ogoni landscape is dotted with puddles of ooze the size of football fields. Between 1976 and 1991, 2976 oil spills blackened the Niger Delta, an average of four a week. Virtually all species of wildlife in Ogoniland are rapidly vanishing.
MOSOP - the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People was formed in 1990 with a mandate to provide peaceful resistance to the social and environmental crimes directed at them. Ken Saro-Wiwa was the movement's founder. As leader of MOSOSP, Saro-Wiwa became the spokesperson for the Ogoni people.
As early as February 1993, Shell was concerned enough about MOSOP to recommend an internal memo that the surveillance of MOSOP's leaders be increased in order to avoid further "unpleasant surprises". Despite these pressures, MOSOP continues to speak out against Shell's practices, which led the Nigerian military to take action in 1995. The most significant brutalities against the Ogoni have happened after Shell expressed concern about perceived threats to the Nigerian government. A memo signed by Major Okuntimo of the Rivers State Internal Security Task Force, dated May 12th 1994, states:
"...Shell operations still impossible unless ruthless military operations are undertaken for smooth economic activities to commence..." The document goes on to recommend the "wasting" of Ogoni leaders. Ken Saro-Wiwa was arrested ten days later. Saro-Wiwa and eight others were hung in November 1995 after a military tribunal.
A group of pro-democracy activists founded RDIN, an outlaw radio station dedicated to the overthrow of the Nigerian dictatorship and their transnational oil partners. RDIN transmitts from 7 to 7:30 am and from 4 to 6 pm, which is when the government-run Radio Nigeria airs its main newscasts. RDIN broadcast:
"The Nigerian government is oppressing our people by daily feeding them lies and misinformation. That we must counter effectively. We must give democracy a very consistent clear voice so that our people will know they have not been forgotten."
Mike Fleshman (Trade Union and Human Righrs Coordinator, Africa Fund, New York) about the Nigerian government: "They don't have many good arguments, but they've got a lot of money to spend. So the Nigerian government has got quite a sophisticated lobbying in media operations in the United States. They spend eight or nine million dollars a year on it, and they got half a dozen lobbies and law firms on retainer in Washington working on their behalf. And because they have got tremendous resources at their disposal they have been able to embody(?) the ????, so for example they have run eight page four colour newspaper inserts in most of the major American press in the United States over the past few months. And because a great many people in the United States, black and white, simply don't know that much about Nigeria, it's possible for the regime to put over a very misleading, even ridiculous presentation to North Americans."
Jumoke Ogunkeyede: "If you look at Shell, it don't think they have any responsibility to Nigeria than make the money. If you look at the pipeline in Ogoni, it's so corroded, acid rain is falling on the people... they couldn't care less, and they always have good statements to put out to let the people feel good. You could call it feel-good-statements, like "We are doing all we can!", "We are not doing this to the people...", but then they will go tomorrow and do the same thing. As a matter of fact, Shell will invite the Federal Government of Nigeria "Please help us curb these people, they are disturbing us from making money from your country!". And Abacha will pass (...?) on people. Example is what happened when the MOSOP were protesting, they were hoping to... planning to protest, ... they had the governor seal up the whole place and they killed a lot of people." (End of part 1).
From encyclopedia.com:
The following is a transcription I did on Channel Zero's Video-Mag dealing with Shell's involvement in Nigeria. I believe the video was issued 1997, and it can be watched / downloaded here. (There's also part two). For those interested in Nigeria's recent history, go here. I picked up this issue linked to at this site called Believe Without Believing. You'll find the links to this video under The Corporate Globe / "Shell in Nigeria" which also holds a link to a smaller version of part 2 for those of you on dial-ups.
On June 12, 1993, The Federal Republic of Nigeria held presidential elections that would usher in a new attempt at civilian rule. Full of hope and renewed faith, the people of Nigeria went to the polls to cast their votes. As the votes were tallied it became clear that the winner would be Chief Moshood Abiola, but the military under General Babaginda, along with his second in command General Sani Abacha, annulled the elections and denied political power to Abiola. Soon after, Abacha seized power and took control of Nigeria - in true dictatorial fashion had President-elect Abiola arrested and charged with treason. The people of Nigeria are once again living under military rule. "Chief Abiola's election and the eventual swearing in as the President would not have been the final process - it would have started the process. Unless this injustice is corrected there will be no light at the end of the tunnel." - Jumoke Ogunkeyede, Chairman of United Committee to Save Nigeria, New York.
This is more than a story about political dictatorship. Rather it is one of corporate complicity in the suppression of basic human rights and the struggle of a people to win them back.
Jumoke Ogunkeyede: "Abacha is going uncurbed, he's been doing whatever he wanted to do, in Nigeria, in South Africa, in all of Europe, paying for advertising spaces, paying people up to 5 million dollars a month to suppress the voices of democracy. I think you could go back to how ITT and Allende worked together in Chile, and Shell is getting to a situation where they actually are the senior partner in the rulership of Nigeria. Shell is importing ammunition for the government of Nigeria, to kill the people of Nigeria,..., and actually if you look at the bullet that killed Mrs. Abiola, it probably could be traced to one of those imported for the government of Nigeria by Shell."
Since 1958, when Shell first struck oil in Nigeria's Ogoniland, they have extracted an estimated US $ 30 billion worth of oil from the region. The 500,000 Ogoni farmers and fishermen received little from Shell except a ravaged environment. Once fertile farmland has been laid waste by oil spills and acid rain. The Ogoni landscape is dotted with puddles of ooze the size of football fields. Between 1976 and 1991, 2976 oil spills blackened the Niger Delta, an average of four a week. Virtually all species of wildlife in Ogoniland are rapidly vanishing.
MOSOP - the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People was formed in 1990 with a mandate to provide peaceful resistance to the social and environmental crimes directed at them. Ken Saro-Wiwa was the movement's founder. As leader of MOSOSP, Saro-Wiwa became the spokesperson for the Ogoni people.
As early as February 1993, Shell was concerned enough about MOSOP to recommend an internal memo that the surveillance of MOSOP's leaders be increased in order to avoid further "unpleasant surprises". Despite these pressures, MOSOP continues to speak out against Shell's practices, which led the Nigerian military to take action in 1995. The most significant brutalities against the Ogoni have happened after Shell expressed concern about perceived threats to the Nigerian government. A memo signed by Major Okuntimo of the Rivers State Internal Security Task Force, dated May 12th 1994, states:
"...Shell operations still impossible unless ruthless military operations are undertaken for smooth economic activities to commence..." The document goes on to recommend the "wasting" of Ogoni leaders. Ken Saro-Wiwa was arrested ten days later. Saro-Wiwa and eight others were hung in November 1995 after a military tribunal.
A group of pro-democracy activists founded RDIN, an outlaw radio station dedicated to the overthrow of the Nigerian dictatorship and their transnational oil partners. RDIN transmitts from 7 to 7:30 am and from 4 to 6 pm, which is when the government-run Radio Nigeria airs its main newscasts. RDIN broadcast:
"The Nigerian government is oppressing our people by daily feeding them lies and misinformation. That we must counter effectively. We must give democracy a very consistent clear voice so that our people will know they have not been forgotten."
Mike Fleshman (Trade Union and Human Righrs Coordinator, Africa Fund, New York) about the Nigerian government: "They don't have many good arguments, but they've got a lot of money to spend. So the Nigerian government has got quite a sophisticated lobbying in media operations in the United States. They spend eight or nine million dollars a year on it, and they got half a dozen lobbies and law firms on retainer in Washington working on their behalf. And because they have got tremendous resources at their disposal they have been able to embody(?) the ????, so for example they have run eight page four colour newspaper inserts in most of the major American press in the United States over the past few months. And because a great many people in the United States, black and white, simply don't know that much about Nigeria, it's possible for the regime to put over a very misleading, even ridiculous presentation to North Americans."
Jumoke Ogunkeyede: "If you look at Shell, it don't think they have any responsibility to Nigeria than make the money. If you look at the pipeline in Ogoni, it's so corroded, acid rain is falling on the people... they couldn't care less, and they always have good statements to put out to let the people feel good. You could call it feel-good-statements, like "We are doing all we can!", "We are not doing this to the people...", but then they will go tomorrow and do the same thing. As a matter of fact, Shell will invite the Federal Government of Nigeria "Please help us curb these people, they are disturbing us from making money from your country!". And Abacha will pass (...?) on people. Example is what happened when the MOSOP were protesting, they were hoping to... planning to protest, ... they had the governor seal up the whole place and they killed a lot of people." (End of part 1).
From encyclopedia.com:
A small success was achieved in Apr., 2002, when Abacha's family agreed to return $1 billion to the government; the government had sought an estimated $4 billion in looted Nigerian assets.
posted by bunka @ 15:13
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