Nigerian women against Chevron oil corporation

This video says about itself:

28 May 2008

Ten years ago, on May 28, 1998, Nigerian security forces hired, paid for and “closely supervised” by Chevron opened fire on peaceful demonstrators on an off-shore barge in the oil-rich Niger Delta, killing two men and injuring at least two more.

On the anniversary of the attack, one of the injured, Larry Bowoto, speaks out.

From This Day (Lagos, Nigeria):

Nigeria: Women Invade U.S.$.8 Billion Chevron Facility in Delta

Omon-Julius Onabu

19 August 2010

Warri — Hundreds of protesters, made up of mostly women from the Itsekiri community of Ugborodo in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, yesterday invaded the Federal Government-owned $800 million gas facility located in the Escravos channel at Madangho.

The protesters told newsmen in Warri yesterday that they were forced to re-occupy the Chevron Tank Farm in the area in protest against the shabby treatment by Federal Government and the American oil giant, Chevron, which operates the facility.

The aggrieved people, who stressed that they were protesting “criminal neglect of our community by Government and Chevron even in the face of palpable threat to our very existence as a people”, said that they had suspended occupation of the facility three weeks ago following assurances that they would be given audience appropriately.

They revealed that Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, had met with their leaders and appealed to them to sheathe their swords, with a promise that the Federal Government and Chevron would soon dialogue with them on the critical issues.

However, after several weeks, there was no sign that the promised peace meeting of stakeholders would be summoned or convened, they said.

The protesters, who stressed that their action was neither politically motivated nor prompted by Governor Uduaghan because he is Itsekiri, said that they were outraged by the fact that the Ugborodo community was completely left out of the shore protection project recently advertised by the Ministry of Niger-Delta Affairs.

According to the Chairman, Ugborodo Community Trust Fund, Deacon Thomas Ereyetomi, the resumption of the protest was simply to send a signal to the government that the proposed meeting needs be held “to address the issues of the total degradation and underdevelopment of the Ugborodo community.”

Ereytomi stated: “We will no longer tolerate the act of criminal neglect and abandonment; because available records and statistics have shown that for more that 45 years since the emergence of the Okan Oilfield in 1963, Ugborodo has consistently produced above 250,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the nation’s economic growth. They noted that they would not be intimidated by the heavy security presence particularly around Chevron facilities in the area. “We will continue to disrupt their activities and die with the Federal Government until they answer us”, they warned. “Beside lack of electricity and other infrastructures, our community is being threatened by the harsh oceanic waves of the Atlantic Ocean and the daily crude oil and gas operational economic activities of the oil companies”, Mrs. Mary Olowu, a community woman leader cried. They said the protest would not abate until the government provided electricity and award the contract for the shore protection of the community, adding that the community accounted for 32% of the oil and gas production in Delta State.

“We cannot continue to suffer oppression, suppression and marginalization. How can our community host the Chevron Tank Farm as well as Loading facility and provide the gas to power the nation’s economy, yet no concrete attempt is being made to step down power supply to the community?

“In less than three years from now the surging Atlantic Ocean would have wiped away our communities from the face of the earth and in spite of our crying out loudly everyday in the media to call the attention of the Federal Government to our plight, the Niger Delta Ministry did not deem it fit to include the Ugborodo shore protection project in the recently advertised job showing clearly that we are not part of the Nigerian project,” they added.

They, therefore, demanded the immediate engagement or a reputable and internationally competent dredging company to handle the shoreline protection and reclamation of Ode-Ugborodo community as well as the extension of electricity to Constain in Warri, saying that was a precondition for peace to reign in the area.

Meanwhile, the security Joint Task Force (JTF) has beefed up security around the facilities of CNL in the area in order to forestall any eventuality, including possible attack on major production and loading platforms situated within the Itsekiri communities.

THISDAY learnt that the JTF Sector 1 Commander, Col Jamil Sarham, took the measure following an emergency meeting with the JTF general Commander in the agency’s headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

This is spite of the observation that the protest had remained generally peaceful; despite warning by the women that the action could be extended to Chevron facilities outside the Ogborodo vicinity.

Amazon Defense Coalition: Chevron Fraud in Ecuador — Response to Fortune.com Article: September 13, 2010: here.

African human rights activist says that the continent has failed women: here.

Britain: Environmental campaigners have condemned oil giant Chevron over its use of a “legal hammer” to force them to abandon a protest in the North Sea against deepwater drilling.

Greenpeace condemned the coalition government on Friday after it granted a deep-sea drilling licence to US oil giant Chevron.

Activists Hijack Business School Q&A With Chevron CEO John Watson: here.

After all of Chevron’s shady tactics, time for Goliath to face David “head-on”: here.