Conflict & emergencies

nigeria: GROUPS OPPOSE US TROOPS DEPLOYMENT TO NIGER DELTA

2003-07-17, Issue 119

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/16319

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Nigerian civil society groups have called for a review of the United States government's foreign and oil policy. In an open letter to the visiting United States President George W. Bush, the groups said America's foreign and oil policy currently served only the interests of powerful corporations. The groups specifically opposed plans by the U.S. to deploy troops to guard Nigerian oil installations. For four decades Western oil companies operating in Nigeria had reduced the once balanced and life-sustaining Niger Delta to a "veritable nightmare".

> ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION/ FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, NIGERIA; #214,
> USELU-LAGOS ROAD, UGBOWO, BENIN CITY; NIGERIA TEL /FAX: +234-52-600165
> EMAIL: ERACTION@INFOWEB.ABS.NET
>
> 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

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