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Press Release: Saro Wiwa: Victory of Ogoni, an indictment of Shell
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Friday, 12 June 2009 18:28 |
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has described the outcome of the landmark suit instituted by Ken Saro Wiwa Jnr and other Ogonis accusing Shell of complicity in the execution of author and human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni leaders in 1995, among other human rights abuses, as a significant milestone in the search for justice in the bloody oil fields of the Niger Delta.
After legal twist and turns lasting nearly fourteen years, Shell has been forced to pay an out-of-court settlement put at $15.5 million to the Ogoni plaintiffs who have struggled to hold the company accountable for complicity in atrocities committed against the Ogoni people in the 1990s, including the execution of Saro-Wiwa.
The plaintiffs had in a suit instituted at a New York court, alleged Shell financed, armed, and colluded with the Nigerian military forces during the Sani Abacha years that used deadly force and conducted massive, brutal raids against the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta.
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FoEI and LVC Statement at CSD17
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Wednesday, 13 May 2009 05:08 |
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Food Sovereignty - A New Model For Human Rights  On May 4th, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, highlighted the unique role of the UN Commission of Sustainable Development (CSD) on the current discussions about the future of agricultural development. His statements were made during a presentation at the 17th session of the COmmission, which is focused on Agriculture, Rural Development, Land, Drought, Desertification and Africa.
De Schutter stated that in order for agricultural development to be sustainable, a focus on human rights is essential, and for that reason it is necessary to move towards a model in which the right to adequate food is a human right. This is what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes, as well as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights... Get the full statement here |
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Stop the Attacks on Gaza!
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Friday, 02 January 2009 07:42 |
 ERA/Friends of the Earth Nigeria Calls for a Stop to the Attack on Gaza
ERA/Friends of the Earth Nigeria joins its Friends of the Earth Palestine and other Nigerian organisations and peoples to call on the Israeli government to immediately halt the attack on Gaza and the massacre of innocent people.
As we write over 380 Palestinians have been killed and close to 2000 have been wounded, including children and numerous civilians.
The attacks and destruction, which began on 27 December 2008, must be seen for what they are: an unacceptable humanitarian catastrophe. Palestinians in Gaza have been living under siege with food and fuel supplies being blocked and the healthcare system starved of basic medicine and equipment.
These attacks have been indiscriminate. Palestinian houses, universities, medical stores and mosques have been destroyed. The attacks have equally destroyed electricity and water supplies and have crippled other essential services, exposing the ordinary person to untold hardship. What is happening in Gaza is part of the long-lasting Israeli oppressive policies endured by Palestinians living under the illegal Occupation.
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Press Release - Chevron Trial: Ilaje will appeal ruling
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Wednesday, 03 December 2008 00:00 |
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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. |
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Press Release: ERA Flays arrest of activists, Journalists
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Tuesday, 02 September 2008 22:51 |
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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. |
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Press Release: Environmentalists Denounce Arrests in Gas Flaring-Affected Community
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Tuesday, 02 September 2008 16:00 |
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.
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Communique: Food is for people not machines
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Tuesday, 12 August 2008 16:00 |
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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. |
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Press Statement: World Bank Acknowledges Serious Flaws In WAGP Project
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Tuesday, 05 August 2008 08:12 |
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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 |
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Press Release - Shell faces legal action over Nigerian Pollution
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Thursday, 15 May 2008 01:44 |
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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. |
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Pipeline Fires: ERA seeks probe of PPMC
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Saturday, 29 December 2007 02:57 |
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.
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Fuel price increase provocative, ERA warns
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Sunday, 27 May 2007 16:00 |
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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.
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Open Letter to MTN
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Wednesday, 07 March 2007 04:34 |
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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. |
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ERA ALERT!!! - NNPC Pipeline fire kills 200 in Lagos
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Wednesday, 27 December 2006 03:13 |
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.
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ERA Hosts FoEI Biennial General Meeting
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Sunday, 24 September 2006 10:51 |
Nigeria's foremost environmental pressure group, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) will from today, the 25th of September, host the Biennial General Meeting of the Friends of the Earth International and an international conference with the theme: "Minimizing Climate Change Impact and Curbing Global Energy Chaos ".
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