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Shell Continues to Threaten Our Lives The fire from one of Shell's dormant oil wells at Yorla flow station in Kpean - Ken Khana is a timely reminder of the extent to which Ogoniland has been subjected to forced and damaging exploitative oil exploration at our expense. This is not the first of such fires - there are numerous incidents involving escaping gas from faulty and dormant wells. This recent outbreak will therefore not come as a surprise to Shell because of their complete disregard for proper laws of operations especially in the third world nations. But must we continue to accept this pattern of abuse on our environment? Where is that long overdue Independent Environmental Impact Assessment on Ogoniland which was recommended by the United Nations? Are we expected to wait forever on this issue? Ogonis believe that it is now time for Shell and the Nigerian Government to implement this recommendation which should lead to the cleaning up Ogoniland; payment of proper compensation to our community; and the offering of apology for the damage and complicity in the security forces' actions against our innocent non-violent people. The misguided notion that Shell may have been forced to pull out of Ogoni since 1993 and therefore no longer owes the people any responsibility is wrong. Average life expectancy in Ogoni is 45 years. Silent killers of Ogonis are the dangerous gases and fumes which has been injected into our environment and which we continue to breathe; the poisoned water from our streams which we have been drinking daily for the past 41 years of Shell's presence in our area etc. We are not going to accept that we must all die before Shell realises the damage it has inflicted on the Ogoni people; the Niger Delta communities and indeed the Nigerian environment. Ogoniland is host to about eight oil fields and from the incident presently at Yorla, we have come to the bitter realisation that this will not be the last time we will experience fires from dormant and faulty wells. We hereby demand from Shell and the Nigerian Government an urgent implementation of the clean up of our environment. The time is now to stop Shell's Fires and destruction on the Ogonis and the Niger Delta. Mrs.Gbenewa Phido Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) Nigeria, 27 Odu Street,
Ogbunabali, Port Harcourt, Nigeria: MOSOP International secretariat: e-mail: mosop@gn.apc.org Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
