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Murder and Mutilation of Farmers and Environmentalists Leads Diverse Group to Support Maryland Boycott of Nigeria Maryland First State to Consider Legislation in Hearing Today Over 2000 men, women, and children have died in clashes with the Nigerian military over the last two years while defending their homes and their farms from oil industry pollution. Their lives often ended brutally in murder and dismemberment by machete. The Ogoni people of Nigeria have been peacefully protesting Shell Oil's environmental contamination which has measured up to 700 times the levels allowed in developed nations. Oil spills and flares have left the air unhealthy to breathe, the water unsafe to drink, and much of the land impossible to farm. Legislation to prevent the Maryland government from doing business with companies like Shell that operate in Nigeria will be heard today at 1:00 pm by the Maryland State Senate Committee on Environmental and Economic Affairs. "We cannot close our eyes to the atrocities against the people of Nigeria and their environment." said Nancy Davis, spokesperson for the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club. "Maryland must step forward as the rest of the world turns its back." The legislation, S.B. 354 and H.B 1273, "Sanctions against Nigeria" is modeled after a bill passed several years ago by Maryland legislators to impose sanctions against South Africa for apartheid. The bills, sponsored originally by Senator Delores Kelley (D-10) and Delegate Rushern Baker (D-22B), enjoy bipartisan and racially diverse support with 9 Senate co-sponsors and 29 House co-sponsors. The bills require that any company doing business with the State of Maryland has to certify that they are not doing business with the country of Nigeria. State purchases of materials such as gasoline from Shell Oil would be affected. Passage of the bill could also affect the State's pension fund investment choices. "As in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, American companies should not do business with an oppressive, murderous regime in Nigeria," noted Davis. "We don't want our dollars supporting their bloodshed." Organizations supporting the legislation against Nigeria in Annapolis today include Sierra Club, The Africa Fund, and the American Committee on Africa. Also testifying are Amnesty International; the Rev. Samuel Ray of Morningstar Baptist Church of Baltimore; and Dr. Owens Wiwa, from Johns Hopkins University and brother to slain Nigerian human rights leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa. Mr. Saro-Wiwa died in November 1995 in a high profile hanging of nine human rights leaders following a military trial. Witnesses thereafter recanted their testimony and have signed sworn statements indicating that they were bribed by the Nigerian military and Shell to testify against Saro-Wiwa. Additional supporters of sanctions against Nigeria include the National Council of Churches, the AFL-CIO, the National Council of Mayors, the NAACP. The Sierra Club nationally is boycotting Shell Oil until it cleans up pollution created in Nigeria. In November 1997, Sierra Club called upon President Clinton to impose an oil embargo on Nigeria. The U.S. consumes nearly half of Nigeria's oil exports and Shell is the largest exporter of Nigerian oil. Shell has been accused of paying the military and assisting in importing weapons into Nigeria. The Sierra Club is a 105-year old conservation organization with 11,000 members in Maryland. The Club is dedicated to protecting the natural and human environment by all lawful means. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
