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On January 30th of this year, Dr. Owens Wiwa, brother of Ken Saro-Wiwa, 

 testified before a joint briefing of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and 

 Congressional Black Caucus. Dr. Wiwa told of an April 1995 meeting with Brian 

 Anderson, Chairman and Managing Director of Shell Nigeria. Dr. Wiwa asked Mr. 

 Anderson if he would use his influence to stop the trial of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his eight 

 colleagues, and free Ken so that negotiations could start between Shell and the Ogoni 

 people. 



According to Dr. Wiwa, Mr. Anderson replied that this would be "difficult but not 

 impossible". However, in return for Shell's help, he would require a press release from 

 MOSOP saying that there was no environmental devastation as a result of Shell's 

 activities in Ogoniland. The Ogoni rejected this offer. 



Nine days after the Ogoni were executed, the Sierra Club Board of Directors 

 voted to support an embargo of Nigerian oil and a consumer boycott of Shell products 

 until such time as the company has cleaned up the pollution it has caused in Nigeria, 

 agreed to conform to U.S. standards while operating in Nigeria, and paid compensation 

 to the peoples adversely affected by their activities. The Sierra Club is calling on the 

 United States government and all other governments around the world to impose 

 economic sanctions- against the military goverimient of Nigeria. 



We believe that sanctions should be taken against Nigeria and that these sanctions 

 should remain in force until such time as the Abacha government resigns, steps are taken 

 to restore democratic government to Nigeria, and the bodies of the nine Ogoni victims 

 who were executed November 10, 1995, are returned to their families for burial. 



Shell now claims that the company is spending $100 million on environmental 

 improvement, and $4.5 million for the "Niger Delta Environmental Survey". To the first, 

 we say it's about time. It is believed that old and faulty equipment is to blame for much 

 of the oil spillage. The Sierra Club considers the latter, the "Niger Delta Environmental 

 Survey" to be nothing more than a public relations gimmick. The head of Shell's 

 commission set up to investigate the enviroimiental destruction. Prof. Claude Ake, has 

 already resigned, citing his doubts about its impartiality and his concern about the 

 disclosure in British newspapers that Shell imported weapons into Nigeria to help arm 

 the police to protect its oil installations. 



If Shell indeed wanted to help improve Ogoni, they would clean up the 

 enviroimiental devastation they have already caused before proceeding with new 

 ventures. They would reimburse the farmers and homeowners who have been brutally 

 forced off their land to make way for oil wells and pipelines, and they would pay 

 reparations to the thousands of Ogoni who suffer health problems as a result of Shell's 

 massive pollution. If Shell was really concerned about Nigeria's environment, they would 

 adhere to the same enviroimiental standards in Nigeria as they are held to in Europe 

 and America. 



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