By Prince Samuel Abiodun Adebowale

Ogoni is an ethnic group in Nigeria, numbering 500,000, naturally endowed with stupendous oil and gas wealth. About 900 millions barrels of oil have been mined majorly by Shell Oil Company from the area since 1958. The people are extremely poor, their condition of life is characterised by environmental pollution, illiteracy etc, despite their oil wealth. They feel marginalised and fear ethnic cleansing is being enacted against them.

Thus, in 1990 the people of Ogoni through their leaders and chiefs adopted Ogoni Bill of Right (OBR). The bill demanded rights: to control their environment; to self determination to fair and adequate representation in all Nigerian institutions; a petition for the restructuring of Nigerian Federation. The bill was presented to the military government of Nigeria in October 1990. After the government indifference to this petition, on the 3rd of November 1992, the Ogoni people issued the oil companies operating on their land a thirty-day demand notice: payback rents and royalties, pay compensation for devastated land or quit. The oil companies ignored the demand.

On the 4th of January 1994, the Ogoni staged a massive peaceful protest march against Shell's ecological war on their land and government denial of their rights. 300,000 Ogoni participated in the march led by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni Peoplo (MOSOP) in a non-violent and peaceful manner.

This historic event marks the commencement of the military genocidal war against the Ogoni people and humanity at large. Between 30th of April 1993 and the 10th of November 1995, over 1053 Ogoni were massacred; 200,000 rendered homeless, many detained, 391 killed and countless wounded by the military government and Shell Oil Company violent alliance.

Worst still, on the 10th of November 1995, nine leaders of MOSOP (Ogoni umbrella organisation) were hanged without fair trial of the murder charge levied against them. A United Nation facts-finding mission reported that the procedure of the prosecution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders of MOSOP was not fair and was not in conformity with international Human Rights norms of which Nigeria is a party to (e.g. International Convenant on Civil and Political Right, International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights etc.). The mission further confirmed that "Nigerian people as a whole are against continuance of the military rule."

International reaction to this murderous act committed by the Nigerian military and Shell Oil Company is not encouraging. It is below such a reaction that will ensure that such actions are not repeated. Only the Commonwealth of Nations has sharply rebuked this action of genocide by Nigerian government. Others must follow this Commonwealth's led example to stop the violation of international norms in Nigeria and everywhere.

We the signers of this petition therefore:

• CALL ON THE NIGERIAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT TO:
  • Immediately release all detained Ogoni leaders
  • Immediately release all political detainees in Nigeria
  • Stop exploitation and/or exploration of oil in Ogoni land until the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR) submitted to the military government since October 1990 is debated in a Nigerian legitimate in sovereign national conference
  • Stop the violation of Human Rights and Fundamental freedoms in Nigeria
  • Immediately disengage from politics as a respect to the aspiration of the Nigerian people confirmed by the UN facts- finding team
• CALL ON THE UN, EU, OAU AND OTHER MULTI-NATIONAL BODIES TO:
  • Impose sanction on the sales of oil from Nigeria
  • Immediately terminate military aid to Nigeria and discontinue all established military aid for armament and training
  • Impose VISA BAN on all Nigerian military men
  • Impose sanction on the sales of arms and ammunition to Nigeria
  • Isolate the military government from international community for violation of human rights
  • Call for immediate release of all political detainees and the Ogoni detained leaders
• CALL ON PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS ACROSS THE WORLD TO BOYCOTT THE PURCHASE OF ALL PRODUCTS OF SHELL OIL COMPANY

(pictures from the video The Drilling Fields)