Nigeria: U.S. Government urged to reject arms, promote talks in the Delta

Oakland, CA – On Tuesday October 6, 2009, The Oakland City Council unanimously voted in favor of a resolution urging the U.S. State Department to facilitate peace in the Niger Delta through independently monitored peace negotiations. The City’s call contrasts with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s pledge in August to explore further U.S. military assistance to the government of Nigeria. The resolution marks a new level of support to pressure the United States to adopt a foreign policy that promotes constructive change through dialog in alignment with the American values of democratic civic engagement, and freedom of speech and the press.

In Resolution Number 09-0812 The City of Oakland unequivocally declares that quelling an insurgent force is not an acceptable reason for a government to unleash military might indiscriminately upon its own civilian population. The resolution states: “WHEREAS, Secretary Hillary Clinton, during her mid-August 2009 visit to Nigeria stated support for the government's approach to security in the country, pledged to explore U.S. military support for Nigeria, and referred to the President Yar'Adua's offer of amnesty for militants in the Delta as a "comprehensive political framework;"

Be it therefore “RESOLVED, that the Oakland City Council does hereby request that the Obama administration and the California Congressional delegation support independently monitored third party diplomatic talks in the Niger Delta with all stakeholders to bring about a peaceful solution” in the Niger Delta.

The Oakland City Council also supported the efforts of U.S. Senators who recently introduced a bill into the Senate that will require oil companies to disclose payments to foreign governments as part of a greater effort toward corporate accountability.

“I was tortured and imprisoned by the Nigerian military for my peaceful protests against Shell Oil's destruction of our land. As a resident of Oakland, I believe the City's support sends a strong message that communities in the U.S are concerned about the human rights abuses and environmental damage associated with oil extraction. I do not want to see my people continue to go through what I went through," stated Suanu Kingston Bere who spoke at the City Council meeting.

Fifty years of oil exploitation in the Niger Delta has produced over $700 billion in oil revenues shared between the Nigerian government and oil giants like Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Shell. Nigeria is a key supplier of oil to the United States, to which it exports over 40% of its supply. Despite the immense wealth gained from oil in the Niger Delta, the quality of life for local residents has deteriorated. Oil companies have destroyed the drinking water supplies and decimated the fish population that serves as a primary source of protein. Very little oil wealth is re-invested in communities from which it is extracted, most lack electricity, and access to education or healthcare facilities. These circumstances combined with an environment of rampant corruption, fraudulent elections and violent suppression of peaceful protests resulted in the rise of an armed political militancy with stated political demands regarding the development of the Delta. In response to the armed militancy the Nigerian government unleashed indiscriminate military might upon unarmed civilians, destroyed villages and caused thousands to be internally displaced in May 2009.

On a hopeful note, the resolution states that Nigeria is confronting a moment of serious crisis that can be turned into a moment of opportunity. Moreover, that the United States can help provide the leadership and influence to ensure that a creative and constructive solution to the root causes of the crisis in the Delta is undertaken.
Similar resolutions are pending in Berkeley, CA and Richmond CA.

(NOTE: The reintroduced bill into congress has since taken place and is now called the Energy Security Through Transparency Act (ESTT) Act [S.1700] and was introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) on September)