PROTESTS HAPPENED TODAY (FEB. 17, 1999) IN : 

• Opia, Nigeria (on Jan. 4, 1999, Chevron helicopters transported Nigerian military troops that razed the village)
• Chevron's Headquarters in San Francisco, California, USA  

[press release]
• Mobil Gas Station in Washington, DC (near Mobil's Headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, USA)  [photos]
 

Essential Action Press Release
For Immediate Release 
February 17, 1998 


Around the Clock and Around the Globe
Protests Pressure Oil Companies to Suspend Operations in Nigeria  

Washington, DC -- Calling for Mobil to stop operating in Nigeria until the current military violence and crackdowns are resolved peacefully, concerned citizens of the United States and Nigeria gathered at noon today at a Mobil station on the corner of 15th and U St. NW.

The demonstrators assembled a pile of coffins and gasoline containers in front of the station to illustrated the harsh cost of Mobil's continued operations and cooperation with the Nigerian military dictatorship.

Since late December, 1998, scores of unarmed demonstrators have been killed in crackdowns by the Nigerian military. These attacks are the military's response to calls from many Nigerian ethnic groups, community organizations and environmental groups for immediate negotiations with the Nigerian military government and the oil corporations operating in Nigeria.

In a coordinated international demand for suspended operations, demonstrators gathered today in four countries to focus attention on the three largest oil corporations operating in Nigeria: Shell, Chevron and Mobil. The oil industry provides 80% of the Nigerian regime's revenue, and 90% of its exports. Mobil refused to make a statement about the military crackdowns, and refused offers for meetings. While Mobil does not operate in the Niger Delta, its continued operations and refusal to comment on the situation betray the priority of its pocketbook in Nigeria. For Mobil, profits continue to come before ethics.

The protest at the Mobil station followed a day of similar civil disobedience, starting in Nigeria with rallies in both the Niger Delta and Lagos, in London against Shell, and San Francisco against Chevron. The Mobil demonstration occured in Washington, DC because of its proximity to Mobil's Fairfax, VA corporate headquarters.

Last week U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Cleveland) called for a Congressional Inquiry into the role of US corporations in ongoing violence in the Niger Delta.
 

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