REMEMBER SARO-WIWA, EMBARGO NIGERIA'S BLOODY OIL
"Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people, who live on a richly
endowed land, distressed by their political marginalization and economic
strangulation, angered by the devastation of their land, their ultimate
heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life, and to a decent living,
and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just
democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives
us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted my intellectual
and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total
belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intimidated."
-Ken Saro-Wiwa, closing statement to Nigerian military court
Ken Saro-Wiwa-human rights activist, poet, playwright, 1995 Goldman
Environmental Prize winner, Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and Ogoni
tribesman-and eight fellow activists, were executed in Nigeria on November
10 for battling the oil and gas industry in their Ogoni homeland.
Ogoniland is in the Niger River delta area of Nigeria. Shell Oil discovered
petroleum there in 1958, and since then has extracted $30 billion worth of
oil and natural gas. The Ogoni people derive no benefit from this. Instead,
the traditional Ogoni fishing and farming life has been devastated by oil
pollution, and-in the words of Wall Street Journal-the land has become "a
ravaged environment."
The Niger delta is home to coastal rainforest and mangrove habitats. The
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development classified the
Nigerian coastal wetlands as a fragile ecosystem, and identified the
Niger's mouth as the most endangered river delta in the world. This is the
direct result of nearly four decades of oil exploitation.
Ken Saro-Wiwa rose to the occasion of this human and environmental tragedy,
and founded the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) in
1990. In a non-violent campaign, MOSOP united hundreds of thousands of
Ogonis, who demanded economic compensation for their sacrificed
livelihoods, and called for a clean-up of the oil spills, pipeline breaks
and toxic wastes that were the residue of industrial oil development.
The reaction of the Nigerian junta was swift and deadly. Shell, Mobil,
Chevron, Texaco and other oil companies generate 80% of Nigeria's annual
revenue, and the military dictatorship sent troops into Ogoniland in a
desperate and deadly maneuver to protect these interests. Since 1993, 20
Ogoni towns have been destroyed, 1,800 people have been killed, and 50,000
left homeless.
There is evidence that links Shell to the military atrocities. An internal
Nigerian military memo-written in May, 1994-stated: "Shell operations [are]
still impossible unless ruthless military operations are undertaken for
smooth economic activities to commence." The document suggested that 400
soldiers should begin "wasting operations" and "wasting" Ogoni leaders who
are "especially vocal individuals." Twelve days later, Ken Saro-Wiwa was
arrested under fabricated charges. Four days after his execution, Shell ,
in a shameless display of hubris, announced plans for a new natural gas
project in Ogoniland.
A strong global outcry against Ken's murder will force Nigeria's government
and its oil executive patrons to do justice to the people and the land that
Ken died to defend. Nelson Mandela and others have called for an
international boycott of Nigeria's oil. Cutting off Nigeria's economic
bloodline will undoubedtly create rapid change.
What Can You Do? First of all, if you have a Shell credit card, tear it up
and send it back.
Then, write a letter to President Clinton-1600 Pensylvania Avenue,
Washington, D.C.-and tell him what you think.
Here is a sample letter:
Dear Mr. President,
Even though the U.S. eventually took a stand against Ken Saro-Wiwa's death
sentence, a call from you to the Nigerian government probably would have
saved his life.
Now you have another chance to lead a strong international call for
environmental and human rights.Start by declaring a US embargo on all
Nigerian oil imports. Americans consume 40% of Nigeria's oil products, so
we have a responsibility to defend the land and rights of the Ogoni people.
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