> ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION/ FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, NIGERIA; #214,
> USELU-LAGOS ROAD, UGBOWO, BENIN CITY; NIGERIA TEL /FAX: +234-52-600165
> EMAIL: [email protected]
>
> July 11, 2003
>
> PRESS STATEMENT
>
> GROUPS OPPOSE US TROOPS DEPLOYMENT TO NIGER DELTA
>
> Nigerian civil society groups have called for a review of United States
> government's foreign and oil policy.
>
> The environmental and human rights groups in an open letter to the
visiting
> United States President, Mr. George Bush, said America's foreign and oil
> policy currently serve only the interest of powerful corporations. The
> groups specifically opposed plan by the US to deploy troops to guard
> Nigerian oil installations.
>
> They lamented that for four decades Western oil companies operating in
> Nigeria have reduced the once balanced and life-sustaining Niger Delta to
a
> veritable nightmare.
>
> "The corporations have been flaring death-dispensing gas into the
atmosphere
> of local communities, mangling fishing waters and farmlands with oil from
> old and broken pipelines they have refused to maintain and repair, cutting
> down forests and abolishing fresh water sources", the groups observed. "We
> have seen them march alongside Nigerian soldiers they pay with blood
money,
> into villages and hamlets killing, maiming and raping young men and women
> whose only crime is that they dared raise their voice to protest the
wanton
> destruction of their lives and sources of livelihood".
>
> The petitioners pointed out that the resolution of the Niger Delta crisis
> can neither be found in militarism nor legalism but in political dialogue
> with the local people who matter the most.
>
> The environmental and human rights groups similarly called on the US
> government to:
>
>
> . rethink its oil and foreign policy because it is driven by
>
> the interests of powerful corporations;
> . stop playing politics with hunger and promoting
>
> Genetically Modified (GM) products;
> . halt its plan to deploy United States troops to the Niger
>
> Delta;
> . with hold further support for the West Africa Gas
>
> Pipeline Project until the concerns of the local communities have
>
> been democratically resolved and
> . support democracy in Nigeria as matter of principle, not out of
> convenience.
>
> The letter was endorsed by leading civil society groups, including:
> Environmental Rights Action (Nnimmo Bassey), Centre for Constitutional
> Governance (Dr. Beko Ransome- Kuti), Ethnic Minority and Indigenous Rights
> Organisation of Africa (Alfred Ilenre), Journalists for Democratic Rights
> (Adewale Adeoye).
>
>
>
> DOIFIE OLA
> Head, Lagos Office
>
> (Please see full text of the letter below)
>
> DEAR PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH
>
> You are visiting our country at a time of profound economic and political
> crises. The neo-conservative agenda which you so powerfully represent,
> putting profits before living people, is wasting lives, aborting liberties
> and destroying livelihoods.
> For four decades and more, we have watched the Western oil companies
> operating in our country reduce the once ecologically-balanced and
> life-sustaining Niger Delta to a veritable nightmare, flaring
> death-dispensing gas into the atmosphere of local communities, mangling
> fishing waters and farmlands with oil from old and broken pipelines they
> have refused to maintain and repair, cutting down forests and abolishing
> fresh water sources. We have seen them march alongside Nigerian soldiers
> they pay with blood money, into villages and hamlets killing, maiming and
> raping young men and women whose only crime is that they dared raise their
> voice to protest the wanton destruction of their lives and sources of
> livelihood. When people and their habitat die, Mr. President, the world
dies
> too.
> We would like to state our total opposition to your plan to further
> militarise Africa by setting up new military bases in Ghana, Senegal,
Mali,
> Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe and Kenya as well as expanding
> America military presence in Djibouti. Reports in the international media,
> including the Wall Street Journal and The Guardian of London say the
target
> of this massive military
> deployment is to protect oil fields in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. We
insist
> that the resolution of the Niger Delta crisis can neither be found in
> militarism nor legalism but in political dialogue with the local people
who
> matter the most.
>
> We call on the US government to:
>
> . rethink its oil and foreign policy because it is driven by
>
> the interests of powerful corporations;
> . stop playing politics with hunger and promoting
>
> Genetically Modified (GM) products;
> . halt its plan to deploy United States troops to the Niger
>
> Delta;
> . with hold further support for the West Africa Gas
>
> Pipeline Project until the concerns of the local communities have been
> democratically resolved and
>
> . Support democracy in Nigeria as matter of principle, not out of
> convenience.
>
> SIGNED:
>
> Nnimmo Bassey, ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION (ERA)
>
> Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, CENTRE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNANCE (CCG)
>
> Alfred Ilenre, ETHNIC MINORITY AND INDIGENOUS RIGHTS ORGANISATION OF
AFRICA
>
> Abiye Kuromiema, RIVERS STUDY GROUP
>
> Kingsley Kpea, CHIKOKO MOVEMENT
>
>
> Felix Tuodolo, OGELE CLUB
>
> Asume Osuoka, OILWATCH AFRICA NETWORK
>
> Chilos Godsent, PAN AFRICAN YOUTH MOVEMENT
>
> Comrade Che Ibegwura, RIVERS COALITION
>
> Kingsley Chinda, PUBLIC INTEREST LAWYERS LEAGUE (PILL)
>
> Chief (Mrs.) Ekaette Ebong Okon
> ITAM WOMEN ASSOCIATION, Itu, Akwa Ibom State
>
> Steyv Obodoekwe, JOURNALISTS COMMITTEE FOR MEDIA RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
> (JOCMERID)
>
> Dimieari von Kemedi, OUR NIGER DELTA
>
> Emem Okon, NIGER DELTA WOMEN FOR JUSTICE (NDWJ)
>
>
> Adewale Adeoye, JOURNALISTS FOR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS (JODER)
>
> Patterson Ogon, IJAW COUNCIL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (ICHR)
>
> Popoola Ajayi, GREENPEOPLES ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK