Nigerian women prepared to die
Women of Nigeria occupy Chevron oil facilities for weeks.
When they saw that we were prepared to die,
Chevron later called us and promised to
listen to our demand.
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 15:07:19 EDT
TESTIMONIES from Niger Delta Women Protesting ChevronTexaco
PROTESTING WOMEN CONTINUE OCCUPATION OF CHEVRON FLOW-STATIONS
Over three thousand protesting Ijaw women from the Gbaramatu Clan and
other communities in the Niger Delta continue the direct occupation of
Chevron's flow stations in Nigeria's Delta State.
In this special update, the Environmental Rights Action (ERA), presents
the voices of the protesting women speaking from the occupied Abiteye
Flow Station.
Chevron has neglected us. They have neglected us for a long time. For
example, any time spills occur, they don't do proper clean-up or pay
compensation. Our roofs are destroyed by their chemical. No good
drinking water in our rivers. Our fishes are killed on daily basis by
their chemicals, even the fishes we catch in our rivers, they smell of
crude oil. Chevron know the right thing to do, they intimidate us with
soldiers, police, navy and tell us that cases of spill are caused by us.
We are tired of complaining, even the Nigerian government and their
Chevron have treated us like slaves. 30 years till now, what do we have
to show by Chevron, apart from this big yard and all sorts of machines
making noise, what do we have? They have been threatening us that if we
make noise, they will stop production and leave our community and we
will suffer, as if we have benefited from them. Before the 70s, when we
were here without Chevron, life was natural and sweet, we were happy.
When we go to the rivers for fishing or forest for hunting, we used to
catch all sorts of fishes and bush animals. Today, the experience is
sad. I am suggesting that they should leave our community completely and
never come back again. See, in our community we have girls, small girls
from Lagos, Warri, Benin City, Enugu, Imo, Osun and other parts of
Nigeria here everyday and night running after the white men and staff
of Chevron, they are doing prostitution, and spreading all sorts of
diseases. The story is too long and too sad. When you go (to ERA) tell
Chevron that we are no longer slaves, even slaves realise their
condition and fight for their freedom.
-Voice of Mrs. Felicia Itsero, 67, mother and grandmother
(translation from Ijaw by Ms. Fanty Waripai)
Our problem with Chevron stared on June 10 in our river. We sent a
delegation to see Chevron and complain about our plight as a neglected
oil producing community. Instead of Chevron to listen to us, the women,
they phoned soldiers from Escravos tank farm. The soldiers who numbered
up to 14, met us at the river and rough handled us. They destroyed 5 of
our boats and wounded our people. We were tortured. When they saw that
we were prepared to die, Chevron later called us and promised to listen
to our demand. From that June 10, 2002, we waited and nothing was done.
So on July 17, 2002, we decided to enter the Abiteye flow station and
peacefully protest. Our demands are genuine, even the soldiers who
Chevron sent to torture us can tell you that we are not violent, so
nobody can use violence against us. We are mature people and we are
protesting in a matured manner. Most times Chevron signed memoranda
of understanding (MOU) with us and they refused to meet the
conditions. Even the environmental problems from Chevron's facility are
threatening us, and they have not done anything for our local fisher
women. If you want to catch fish now, you really have to go into the
deep sea and we don't have such equipment. In fact, I want to say that
Chevron in insensitive and callous to our plight. Out problem is caused
by them and we are now living in abject poverty. When we protest like
this, they just give money to few greedy individuals and they think
that they have solved the problems. We are prepared to die.
-Voice of Mrs. Lucky Murade, 30 year old and mother.
(Translated from Pidgin English by ERA's Patrick Naagbanton)
Chevron is deceitful. They have deceived us several times and we know
them better now. We won't leave this place till our demands are met.
-Voice of Mrs. Juliet Tomfawer, 39 years old and mother.
(Translated from Pidgin English by ERA's Patrick Naagbanton)
We are women from Kenghangbene and other nearby communities.
Kenghangbene hosts the Chevron flow-station (Abiteye). We are
demonstrating here peacefully, not armed with anything except leaves.
We are peaceful. We are occupying this facility because we are angry.
We are angry because since 1970, the company came here, we have
nothing to show for the pollution of our rivers and creeks, destruction
of our forests and mangroves and the noise, and the gas flaring. We
have complained and protested. All our complaints and protests fell on
Chevron's deaf ears. We have nothing to show for this.. Look at my
village from Warri to here, for an uninterrupted engine boat drive is
about 2 hours, and we don't have clinic, no good drinking water, no
road, no electricity and other necessities of life. Here, we have
married women, unmarried women, and small girls. We have old women,
young and small ones here demonstrating. Nobody mobilises us to do what
we are doing. We are angry. We sleep here day and night. We are denied
our rights as a people, to employment, good environment and so on. We
will be here till Chevron answers our demands.
-Voice of Chief (Mrs) Josephine Ogoba, 48 year old and mother of 4
children. A leader of the protesting women..
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Tell ChevronTexaco and the Nigerian government you support the demands
of the women and their communities for a safe and conducive environment
necessary for their survival.
Tell ChevronTexaco and the Nigerian government to meet the women's
demands for jobs for their children, economic support for education and
health services, and economic support for fishing and poultry farming
demands.
Tell ChevronTexaco and the Nigerian government you are aware of their
past practice of relying on the mobile police and soldiers to violently
attack protesters and that you demand a just and non-violent
resolution.
CALL or FAX ChevronTexaco's Overseas Petroleum Inc.
Phone: 925 842 0333
Fax: 925 842 3886
For more information contact:
ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION/ FRIENDS OF THE EARTH (FoE, Nigeria)
#214, Uselu-Lagos Road, P. O. Box 10577, Benin City, Nigeria
Tel/Fax: + 234 52 600165 E-mail:
E-mail: eraction
infoweb.abs.net
Port Harcourt: # 13 Agudama Street, D-Line, Port Harcourt
Tel: + 234 84 236365
E-mail: oilwatchinfoweb.abs.net
Lagos: # 1 Balogun Street, Ikeja
E-mail: diserainfoweb.abs.net
Or
Project Underground
www.moles.org
1916A Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
gopalmoles.org
*****************************************************************
Gopal Dayaneni
Oil Campaign Coordinator
Project Underground
510.705.8981 (office)
510.847.3592 (cell)
510.558.8266 (home)
510.705.8983 (fax)
Project Underground supports communities resisting human rights abuses
and environmental injustices perpetrated by the oil and mining
industries. We amplify the voices and magnify the visibility of
communities demanding their rights in the face of exploitative and
devestating resource extraction. We do this through corporate
campaigning, non-violent direct action, popular education and legal and
technical support.
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