December 3, 2008

The Ilaje Community has vowed to appeal the ruling of a San Francisco, US district court which absolved Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) from complicity in the 1998 killing of youths who were on a peaceful protest on Parabe platform in Ilaje, Ondo State.

In his closing argument yesterday (December 2, 2008) after the ruling, Counsel to the Ilaje Community, Dan Stormer said Chevron “did not want to be held accountable in the press in 1998 so they lied. They don’t   want to be held accountable now.”

The lawsuit is based on a 1998 incident in which soldiers shot non-violent protesters at Chevron's Parabe offshore platform. Ilaje youths had embarked on the peaceful protest to the platform to demand a better deal from Chevron for years of unfriendly environmental practices caused by oil extraction and to demand basic amenities, scholarships and jobs. among others.

The Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has condemned Tuesday's arrest and detention of its officers, community elders and some journalists at Iwherekan community, Delta State by soldiers guarding gas flaring sites operated by Shell. The group demands their immediate release and an apology from the military and Shell.

In a statement issued in Benin yesterday, ERA said some of its officers, community elders, women, children and journalists from national newspapers and televisions stations including the Federal Government- owned Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) were arrested during a community interactive forum on the impact of gas flaring.

According to the group, about 25 persons including ERA/FoEN project Officer, Chima Williams, the plaintiff in the suit against gas flaring, Jonah Gbemre and a member of the Host Communities Network (HOCON), Comrade Che Ibegura were arrested and detained by the soldiers while the camera of the NTA crew was seized and confiscated.

Environmental Rights Action / Friends of the Earth Nigeria

September 3, 2008

BENIN CITY (NIGERIA), September 3, 2008 -- Environmental Rights Action / Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has condemned the September 2 arrest and detention of a group of around 25 people including journalists attending a community forum on gas flaring at Iwherekan community (Delta State).

The arrests were made by Nigerian soldiers at the Iwherekan community gas flaring site operated by oil giant Shell.

Forum participants were released after approximately 5 hours in detention but were requested to report to a military commandant today September 3 at 9 am local time. The people detained included journalists from national newspapers and televisions stations including the Federal Government-owned Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) as well as ERA/FoEN staff, community elders, women, and children. The NTA crew camera was confiscated.

Member groups of Friends of the Earth Africa (FoEA), farmers, civil society organisations, legal practitioners, media representatives, development experts, community representatives, government ministries and agencies, and the academia met in Abuja, on 13th August 2008 to deliberate on the challenges posed by the renewed scramble for Africa by the North and the wasteful use of food crops as fuel to feed cars and machines while people go hungry.

The conference provided stakeholders an opportunity to raise awareness, mobilize and build resistance against corporate-driven unsustainable production, consumption and trade in agricultural products for conversion to agrofuels, and threats to food sovereignty.

A Communique was released at the end of the highly successful meeting. Click here to read/download the communique in adobe portable document format.

But Questions on Compensation for Displaced, “Upstream” Impacts, and Gas Flaring Remain Unanswered

Civil society activists in Nigeria are welcoming the World Bank’s acknowledgement of a series of damaging mistakes during the building of the World Bank-financed West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) running from Nigeria through Benin, Togo, and Ghana. But they also say the report does not go far enough in answering crucial questions.

A report by the Bank’s independent Inspection Panel outlines serious errors made by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) as it took possession of lands in Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria and displaced already-impoverished residents. In its response to the Panel report, the World Bank’s management admits that residents were paid just 10% of the established value of their land. The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors is scheduled to discuss the report today

Amsterdam (The Netherlands) – May 14, 2008 - Shell-headquarters in the Netherlands is held liable by Friends of the Earth Netherlands/Nigeria and four Nigerians, for the massive damage that oil spills are causing to villages in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Last Friday, Dutch lawyers representing the plaintiffs summoned Shell to clarify its role concerning oil spills. In early June, based on Shell-headquarters' response, the plaintiffs will decide whether to proceed with the lawsuit.

Press Release

December 27, 2007

The cycle of blaming vandals for the perennial pipeline fires in the country is no longer tenable. Government should embark on a comprehensive probe of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) to ascertain the degree of in-house complicity in illegal siphoning of petroleum products along the corporation’s distribution network, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has said.

In a reaction to the explosion from a ruptured PPMC pipeline in Abagbo Village in Lagos, ERA/FoEN regretted that serial pipeline explosions have brought ridicule on the country, portraying Nigeria as a country that lacks the capacity to manage the distribution of petroleum products. The Abagbo explosion which occurred on Christmas day claimed over 40 lives. PPMC, the operator of the burst pipeline is the products distribution arm of NNPC.

 Press Release - May 28th, 2007

The recent pump price increase is provocative and an affront on the sensibilities of Nigerians who have endured pains and agony caused by the eight years of anti-people policies foisted on them by the Gen Olusegun Obasanjo administration, the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth, Nigeria has said.

The Chief Executive Officer,
MTN Nigeria Communications Limited
Victoria Island,
Lagos

Dear Sir,
MTN BIOFUEL BASE STATIONS

Our attention has been drawn to a joint statement by your company, Ericsson and the GSM Association (GSMA) to the effect that MTN Nigeria will adopt biofuel to power its base stations in the country.

The statement released to the international media late last year said MTN is embarking on the biofuel project in Nigeria “to demonstrate the potential of biofuels to replace diesel as a source of power for mobile base stations located beyond the reach of the electricity grid.”

The statement was categorical that MTN has commissioned pilot biofuel-powered base stations in Lagos, and that the scheme will later extend to rural regions of South- Eastern and Western Nigeria.

It was also stated that groundnuts, along with pumpkin seeds, jatropha and palm oil will be used in the initial pilot test.

A pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
exploded yesterday  in Awori, a sprawling  Lagos surburb, killing at least
200 people.

Residents of the densely populated community say the incident occurred at
about 8am on the 26th of December,  Christians boxing day which is a national holiday in Nigeria.
According to them, petroleum thieves had ripped open the pipeline in the
night, siphoned  fuel into some tankers and left the scene without sealing
the ripped portion. By morning, residents woke up to the  free flow of
petrol from the pipeline. In no time locals in their hundreds swooped on the
spill to scoop.