Poison Fire - Oil and Gas Abuse in Nigeria

Question & Answers, part 1: Will Shell show up?

Lars — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:16:06 -0800

Ifie and I are in Amsterdam this week as Poison Fire competes at IDFA, the world’s biggest documentary film festival. We’ve shown the film twice in sold-out cinema theaters. Three more screenings remain. After each show there is a questions and answers sessions. The IDFA audience is wonderful and I wish these Q&A sessions could go on for hours instead of just the 10-15 minutes we get after each show.

So let’s continue here. I will start with the two most common questions that we get all the time

Q: Have you shown the film to Shell?

A: Yes we have. We posted a trailer and some earlier versions of the film to the website for some time, and within days we had hundreds of hits from ip numbers that belong to Shell. We assume that the film has been discussed within the company.

Testimony in the U.S. Senate

Lars — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:05:09 -0700

This week Ka Hsaw Wa from EarthRights International and Nnimmo Bassey from Environmental Rights Action gave testimony to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on how oil companies deploy military force against peaceful protesters in Burma and Nigeria, in a hearing on the human rights responsibilities of american oil companies.

Nnimmo's full testimony is excellent and very comprehensive. He showed how silencing peaceful protest with military means leads to violent insurgency

Oil companies, including Chevron and Shell, have repeatedly used the Nigerian military to violently repress Delta inhabitants’ peaceful protests, causing deaths and injuries, and creating an environment in which ordinary citizens are unable to exercise their rights to free expression.

And advocates dialogue

EU "helps" Nigeria get rid of its gas

Lars — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:44:04 -0700

Lots of worrying news are coming from the Niger Delta this week. In international media MEND's "oil war" is getting the headlines. In Nigerian newspapers pundits are divided over the federal government's surprise move to establish a Niger Delta Ministry.

Then BBC reported yesterday that the EU will help Nigeria invest in a Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline. The Financial Times has more detail:

Interview with Shell CEO

Lars — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:19:02 -0700

Jeroen van der Veer: Shell doesn't like flaring and is not in the oil business for the money.

The Green Rush: Full transcript of interview with Jeroen van der Veer - Times Online

In Shell's view, we do not like flaring at all, so our policy is already for years that wherever we flare that we try to reduce or completely stop it. If I look at the world, at the Shell operations, basically we have only the problem in Nigeria left.

(...)

I'm always amazed that people think that oil companies they are just for the money and greedy and like to do a lousy job.

(...)

We think to take environmental aspects into account is good long-term business as well because it prevents problems, and it helps that people think that Shell is doing a good job so that if they have a consumer choice they fuel up with our gasoline.

Really? We fuel up with Shell if we have a choice?

Shell stops gas flaring... in Iraq

Lars — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:28:07 -0700

Shell Seals $4 Billion Iraq Deal at Oil Change

Shell has been awarded a $4bn contract in the south of the country to supply gas for Iraqi domestic use but also for export. Shell’s project is intended to make use of the gas flared off by the oil industry in the south of Iraq.

I'll take that as an excuse to post this link to the funniest TV show on Iraqi oil you will ever see: Robert Newmans History of Oil

Interview in The Ecologist

admin — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:36:58 -0700

There is an interview about Poison Fire in The Ecologist on the web

Thank God for internet

Lars — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:47:08 -0700

A thread with many interesting comments on Poison Fire tops the huge Nigerian website nairaland.com right now

A couple of excerpts:

This video and others like it never cease to shock me - the sheer destruction, the poverty, the utter helplessness of the people.(...) I must say these lawyers, rights activists and community leaders are the real heroes, not the gun totting MEND or whatever they call themselves. These guys are working hard to change things within the law. Sadly they are not always successful, but their spirit and determination must be applauded.

Wow, I had goose pimples watching this movie. I don't even know what to say. No matter how corrupt the country is, that is no excuse for the way Shell is behaving. Thanks for posting this.
Thank God for internet. We can all do something, even if it is as little as sending the link to all your friends on facebook, please do. People need to see this, especially the Hague conference.

read more

Poison Fire activists, journalists detained by military

Lars — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:30:18 -0700

Three of the activists in the film were detained by military yesterday

Jonah Gbemre, the plaintiff from Iwhrekan who won the case against Shell

Comrade Che Ibegura

Chima Williams, the ERA lawyer

Updated press release from Environmental Rights Action

September 3, 2008

Nigeria: Environmentalists Denounce Arrests in Gas Flaring-Affected Community

read more

P1010118

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:55:20 -0700

P1010117

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:55:17 -0700