1/04 Call on Phil. Mayor to Halt Nigerian Oil

[the.greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org]

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Original-TO:      World Press (Green2:Green2:Gnl:INET)
Original-Cc:      The Greenbase (Green2:Green2:Gnl:Main)
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                   GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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GREENPEACE AND OIL WORKERS CALL ON PHILADELPHIA MAYOR 
            TO HALT NIGERIAN OIL IMPORTS 
Human rights abuses, environmental degradation in Nigeria      
                           cited 
 
WASHINGTON, January 4, 1996 -- Citing gross human rights
violations by the Nigerian government, and environmental
degradation by multinational oil companies operating in
Nigeria, Greenpeace and the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers
union (OCAW) today appealed to Philadelphia mayor Edward G.
Rendell to support international calls for an embargo on
Nigerian oil.  Philadelphia is the major US port for
Nigerian oil.
 
In a letter to Mayor Rendell, Greenpeace and OCAW emphasized
the widespread and often brutal suppression by Nigeria's
ruling military government of protests by citizens and
activists against human rights abuses, and against unfair
labor practices and ecological destruction by big oil
companies.  Such peaceful protests led to the November
1995 execution of renowned Nigerian activist and writer Ken
Saro-Wiwa and eight of his colleagues.
 
"The United States is Nigeria's largest customer of oil, and
fully 80 percent of that oil enters this country through
Philadelphia area ports," explained Steve Kretzmann of
Greenpeace  "An embargo is the most powerful way to show that
the US will not tolerate violence for the sake of profit, and
Mayor Rendell can help send this message through loud and
clear." 
 
Oil is central to the ruling Nigerian regime, accounting for
over 90 percent of the country's exports, and giving military
dictator Gen. Sani Abacha the means to continue his reign of
terror, and to protect multinational oil companies -- most
notably Royal Dutch/Shell -- as they conduct business as
usual. 
 
Much of the oil produced by Shell in Nigeria is offloaded at
British Petroleum's Marcus Hook refinery, which has just been
bought by Tosco. The new management of the refinery is
threatening to close the plant if OCAW Local 8-234 workers do
not accept their latest offer. 
 
 
"When it comes to corporate profits, in Philadelphia or

Nigeria, neither people nor the environment seem to matter,"
Kretzmann said.  
 
Three years ago today, more than 300,000 people of the oil-
rich Ogoni region of Nigeria rallied for freedom from
environmental degradation and for greater autonomy. Now, Ogoni
is an occupied land -- more than 1,800 people have been killed
and their activist leaders are either dead or in hiding.  
 
Last week a broad coalition of labor, environment, human
rights, African American, church and socially responsible
business groups sent a letter to President Clinton and
Congress, urging the US to lead an international effort for
sanctions against Nigeria.  
 
ENDS
 
CONTACT:  Steve Kretzmann, Greenpeace  202-319-2515
          Deborah Rephan, Greenpeace News Desk  202-319-2492  
 


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