Justice In Nigeria Now

Participate as part of a JINN contingent: Contact Diana @ nicca@igc.org

5-Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in Solidarity with Gulf Coast Communities:

MAKE BIG OIL PAY!

Sun Aug 29, 1-4pm

Teach-In:Big Oil, Community Resilience and Creative Nonviolent Direct Action

Frank Ogawa Plaza, near 14th St & Broadway (12th St BART), Oakland

* Brief Teach-In on BP, Big Oil and Local Impacts– positive solutions and what we can do. Followed by:
* Nonviolent Direct Action Training: a public preparation for the campaign on nonviolent direct action against big oil and for climate justice. This will prepare participants to join the nonviolent direct action part of the following day’s demonstration, or just learn about what’s involved. Please come on time and stay for the whole time.
* Community Resilience Skills: Movement Generation and Bay Localize teach this workshop to understand the importance of meeting our own basic needs to prepare our communities to weather economic, ecological and social instability. Learn to evaluate our community’s relative strengths and vulnerabilities, and learn concrete skills to build self-reliance and resilience. It covers the topics of; Resilient communities as part of resisting oppression; Food, Water & Energy; Transportation & Housing; Jobs & Economy; Civic Preparedness & Social Service.

Mon, Aug 30, 11:30 am

March on BP & Nonviolent Direct Action

Justin Herman Plaza (Embarcadero BART), SF

Join:
Jonathan Henderson, who leads the BP drilling disaster field operations in the Gulf of Mexico for the Gulf Restoration Network

Rev Kenneth Davis (Civil Rights veteran and community leader from North Richmond)

Antonia Juhasz, author of the Tyranny of Oil, just back fron meeting with impacted communities in the Gulf.

Rebecca Solnit, author and activist who has written on Katrina and the current Gulf disaster.

Carla Pérez, Movement Generation

Dave Room, Bay Localize

Join us for a march on BP and Big Oil’s SF locations and those who choose to will risk arrest taking nonviolent direct action in what may be the largest nonviolent direct action since the BP Gulf disaster. We’ll be targeting the offices of BP for their roles in environmental and community destruction in the Gulf, in the Bay Area, and around the world.  We’ll also visit the U.S. EPA to demand an end to the use of toxic dispersants, to follow the Clean Air Act that mandates they regulate the greenhouse gas pollution that causes climate change and stand up to industry pressure to expand drilling and prevent action to stop climate change.

Join us in demanding:

Moratorium on New Offshore Drilling. No Use of Dispersants.

Full Access to Media and Civil Society.

Big Oil corporations pay their debt to all impacted communities – Gulf Coast to Richmond, CA and around the world.

Big Oil pay for community livelihood and ecosystem restoration, clean energy, public transportation, and healthcare for impacted communities.

Big Oil Out of Politics!

Big Oil Corporations destroy our health, environment and the livelihoods of our communities. From the Gulf Coast Oil disaster to the Niger Delta, from the Canadian Tar Sands to Richmond, California – these corporations pollute our communities and cause climate change, destroying the environments we depend on. Big Oil makes billions, while buying and lobbying governments for subsidies, against public oversight, and against solutions to climate change.

As BP tries to spin the ongoing Gulf of Mexico worst-environmental-disaster- in-US-history out of view, Gulf Coast communities ask us to keep the spotlight on and to increase the pressure for justice. George Monbiot, author of Heat: how to stop the planet burning writes, “The oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon well is scarcely more damaging, and its eventual impacts scarcely more expensive, than the oil which is captured by neighboring rigs then processed and burnt as intended.” And as climate-related extreme weather disasters sweep the globe killing thousands and displacing millions, Amy Goodman writes, “The U.N. climate conference will convene in Cancun, Mexico, in December, where prospects for global consensus with binding commitments seem increasingly unlikely. Ultimately, policy in the United States, the greatest polluter in human history, must be changed. That will come only from people in the United States…”

Join us in taking action to stop Big Oil’s destruction and support clean energy and positive solutions.

Get Involved:
Form an “Affinity” or Action Group: to participate in the nonviolent direct action– ask your friends, family, co-workers, fellow students or group members. Come to the training on Aug 29, take the day off work or school and take action!

Get the Word Out: Send this email with a personal note, link to our facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138322482869220&ref=nf

Watch and share the BP & Big Oil Video Teach-In at:
http://www.youtube.com/ClimateJusticeWEST

Download flyers, make copes and get them out at:
http://west.actforclimatejustice.org/resources/imagery-and-fliers/

Sign up for action updates: text message to 40404 with the message “follow mcjwest”

mcjbay@gmail.com
ActForClimateJustice.org/West


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The Senate, in a 60-39 vote today, gave its final approval to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer  Protection Act–which includes a landmark provision requiring energy and mining companies to disclose how much they pay to foreign countries and the U.S. government.

The provision, based on the Energy Security Through Transparency Act (S. 1700), covers all oil, gas, and mining companies registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This applies to companies from around the world like the major oil companies operating in Nigeria: Chevron, Shell, and ExxonMobil.

For the people of the Niger Delta, this legislation will provide access to information that can be used to combat corruption, seek a fair share of revenues from oil extraction, and bring communities a step closer to holding companies accountable for paying the brutal Nigerian military to suppress dissent.

On June 30, the House of Representatives passed the same legislation that the Senate passed today. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law next week.

JINN and its members pioneered a U.S. grassroots strategy in support of the work of the U.S. and global Publish What You Pay Coalition, by mobilizing support from the cities of Berkeley, Oakland and Richmond, California. Each of these municipalities adopted a resolution in support of the Energy Security Through Transparency Act (which was the basis for the language that was passed today). These resolutions were used by the lobbying team on Capitol Hill.

More information below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2010

CONTACT:
Abby Rubinson, abby@justiceinnigerianow.org, (415) 990-0792
Isabel Munilla, imunilla@pwypusa.org, (202) 525-2754 / (202) 680-4606

U.S. legislation shines light on billions in oil and mineral payments

Measure sets new global standard for corporate transparency

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 15, 2010 — The Senate gave final approval today to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act with a landmark provision requiring energy and mining companies registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose how much they pay to foreign countries and the U.S. government for oil, gas, and minerals.

This historic measure gives citizens in resource-rich countries information they need to combat corruption in the oil and mineral sector and to demand government accountability for responsible resource use. The House passed the same legislation on June 30, and it is expected to be signed into law by President Obama next week.

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We hope you enjoyed April Fools this year as much as we did, thanks to the stellar jokesters the Yes Men who have a habit of impersonating corporate spokespeople.  The people of the Niger Delta still need you to

email Shell’s CEO, Peter Voser, or call Shell’s headquarters at (031) 70 377-9111, or US office at (713) 767-5400, to

encourage Shell to make real amends by ending gas flaring in the Niger Delta and investing in job training and educational opportunities for every resident of a village whose self-sufficient lifestyle was damaged by Shell.

If you missed the prank, read the statement below and watch the video above of Shell’s apology to the Niger Delta.

A huge thanks to the Yes Men for driving a 100% increase in traffic on JINN’s Facebook page over the last week!

from http://shellapologises.com/statement.html:

The Hague, 27 March 2010

Today, Royal Dutch Shell is holding back the tears no more. Shell apologises to all inhabitants of Nigeria’s Niger Delta for the many years of human rights violations, for which Shell takes full responsibility.

Confronted with massive evidence of human rights violations that can only be attributed to its operations in the Niger Delta, Royal Dutch Shell is extremely proud to be the first international petrochemical company to publicly say:

We are sorry.

Since Shell first discovered oil in the Niger Delta in 1956, the company has ravished the land and polluted the environment. “We thought these people didn’t know what was good for them,” explains Bradford Houppe, Vice-President of Shell’s newly established Ethical Affairs Committee. “We never knew that we were bringing them impoverishment, conflict, abuse and deprivation. Now we know.” Shell acknowledges that it is responsible for large-scale oil spills, waste dumping and gas flaring. Each year, hundreds of oil spills occur, many of which are caused by corrosion of oil pipes and poor maintenance of infrastructure. “Our failure to deal with these spills swiftly and the lack of effective clean-up greatly exacerbate their human rights and environmental impact,” says Houppe. “And that is wrong. It’s just really wrong.”
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"A child is silhouetted against a gas flare Nigeria's southwest delta: 80% of the country's oil wealth goes to 1% of its population." Caption: Guardian UK; Photograph: Reuters/Corbis

Today, March 9, marked the deadline for Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Candidate countries to complete “validation” by reporting to the EITI secretariat in Oslo. Nigeria is one of 20 countries that failed to complete validation of its efforts to comply with the EITI. In 2008, a total of 22 EITI Candidate countries were given the March 9, 2010 deadline.

Nigeria was the first country to give domestic legal force to the EITI when it passed national legislation in May 2007. Nigeria became an EITI Candidate country in September 2007 and was given until today to complete validation, a necessary step for progressing from an EITI Candidate country to an EITI Compliant country. Validation provides an independent assessment of progress achieved and identifies measures needed to strengthen the EITI process.

Nigeria submitted a draft validation report but nonetheless failed to meet the deadline. If faced with “exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances,” EITI Candidate countries can request an extension from the EITI Board, which will meet in mid-April to consider these requests.

If a Candidate country does complete validation (or request an extension) by March 9, 2010, it will be delisted.

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In honor of International Women’s Day, Justice in Nigeria Now highlights the work of an inspiring, accomplished women’s leader in the Niger Delta: Emem Okon.

Ms. Okon, the Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, uses her passion for mobilizing and empowering women to promote human rights, democratic principles, and social justice in the Niger Delta. Ms. Okon helps women to develop their leadership potentials and project their voices in Nigerian political, social, and cultural spheres.

Based in the Niger Delta, where women face particular adverse impacts of violence—both in terms of violence against women and in the effects of violent conflict on economic and social livelihoods—Ms. Okon advocates for peace and capacity-building, with and for the women of the Niger Delta.

Much of Ms. Okon’s work stems from the challenges that women in the Niger Delta face living in the shadow of oil companies’ operations, where resulting gas flaring and oil spills afflict harm on the people and the environment.

Read this profile on Emem Okon in the National Catholic Reporter as part of its series, Women: Birthing Justice, Birthing Hope:

http://ncronline.org/news/women/first-hand-account-organizing-women-nigeria.

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If you didn’t already know, Nigeria is renowned for its film scene. Every Thursday in February, the Smithsonian features Nigerian movies as part of the Nollywood Film Festival.

Chevron is a key sponsor of the event. Chevron’s track record in Nigeria of human rights and environmental abuse makes it a bad choice for a sponsor.

When JINN phoned the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art Corporate Membership office to express concern about Chevron’s sponsoring of the event and to ask about the criteria for evaluating prospective sponsors, the Smithsonian replied that it could not divulge its criteria; that they are aware of Chevron’s track record in Nigeria, but that they did not concern themselves with the political ramifications of what their funders do, since the Smithsonian’s objective is to fund art.

JINN, Rainforest Action Network (RAN), and Global Exhange created a postcard (see photos above and below). At each Thursday event, RAN will distribute, collect, and deliver postcards to the Smithsonian.

If you are in DC–or know people in DC–JINN encourages you to attend the festival to support Nigerian filmmakers, but be sure to let the Smithsonian know that you disapprove of Chevron as the sponsor for this event.

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Justice in Nigeria Now is excited to announce a new partnership with Sweet Crude, an acclaimed documentary that captures the realities of the Niger Delta. Directing attention to a region devastated by oil, Sweet Crude movingly portrays the strength, beauty, and resilience of communities in the Niger Delta while unpacking myths about the region, particularly by exposing actual distortions in reporting by international media. JINN joins Sweet Crude as the official activist partner of the film team, enabling engaged viewers to take action in theaters and beyond.

At the screenings, viewers will find JINN ready to provide them with ways to call for much-needed constructive action and attention to the Niger Delta. Examples include urging Secretary of State Clinton to support international mediation and peace talks in the Niger Delta, and asking  senators to support legislation requiring transparency in oil companies’ payments to foreign governments.

JINN and Sweet Crude’s common goals of respect for human rights and environmental justice, along with our common objectives of peace talks and corporate accountability in the Niger Delta, make us—alongside our friends on the ground in Nigeria—natural partners in working toward a peaceful resolution to decades of injustice in the Niger Delta.

Check back here to find out when and where you can Sweet Crude in the coming months.

[Photo Credit: Kendra E. Thornbury for Sweet Crude]

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"SHELL, COME TO TERMS WITH NIGERIA" Photo Credit: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

On December 30, 2009 a civil court judge in the Hague ruled that Royal Dutch Shell can be sued in the Netherlands—its corporate headquarters—for pollution it caused in Nigeria.

Four Nigerian villagers and Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie) brought the claim, forcing Shell to face up to charges of environmental and social damage it has caused in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Estimated damage from pipeline spills and gas flaring caused by the oil industry as a whole amounts to up to $20 billion, according to a variety of independent organizations. Royal Dutch Shell is the largest oil company operating in Nigeria.

The case charges Shell with environmental degradation arising from its oil operations in the village of Oruma, where a high-pressure wellhead spewing oil and gas ran uncontained for 12 days, polluting land and drinking water in nearby communities, with “clean-up”—comprised of dumping toxic waste into pits and burning them—beginning four months later. Shell also faces claims for damage in Goi, where in 2005, Shell’s Trans-Niger pipeline caught fire and destroyed farmland and homes and polluted fisheries, with the mess remaining for 33 months, as well as for an enforcement action of a court order against Shell to stop the illegal practice of gas flaring, which the federal high court of Nigeria declared a violation of human rights in 2005.

The first substantive hearing, which pertains to the Oruma oil spill, is slated to begin in the Hague Civil Court tentatively in spring 2010.

Royal Dutch Shell continues to deny responsibility for, and contest jurisdiction abroad over, its actions in Nigeria.

Read more here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/dec/30/shell-oruma-alleged-pollution-claim

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8434736.stm

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Council Urges U.S. to Pass Transparency Law To Force Chevron and Other Oil Companies to Report Payments to Nigeria and Other Foreign Governments

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin

Richmond, CA – On Tuesday December 15, 2009, the Richmond City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution urging the U.S. Senate to pass a bill that would require oil companies to disclose payments to foreign governments as part of a larger movement to increase corporate accountability across borders. Councilmember Nathaniel Bates was absent.  A similar resolution was unanimously approved by the Oakland City Council and with one abstention in the Berkeley City Council in October.

The Energy Security Through Transparency Act (ESTT) Act was introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) in September and if passed would effect oil companies in Nigeria as well as the rest of the world.

“Here in Richmond, we see the links between human rights and corporate accountability issues in our city as the same struggle as those that are demanding a right to their livelihood in Nigeria.  Oil companies need to take responsibility where ever oil in produced and refined,” stated Richmond resident Jovanka Beckles who spoke at the meeting.

The Richmond resolution also calls on the State Department to support diplomatic peace talks in the Delta to negotiate a way forward to address the root causes of the current crisis—environmental destruction – particularly gas flaring – and lack of investment in the oil producing region. 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 along with the passage of the resolution in Oakland and Berkeley 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.

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Berkeley, Oakland urge oil money transparency

By Josh Richman
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 12:39 pm

Reprinted from The Contra Costa Times Political Blogger

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