The Niger Delta is one of the 10 most important wetland and coastal marine ecosystems in the world and home to some 31 million people. It is also the location of massive oil deposits, which have been exploited for decades by the government of Nigeria and multinational oil companies. The people of the Niger Delta have seen their human rights undermined by oil companies that their government cannot or will not hold to account.

Amnesty International is concerned about the devastating impact that pollution and environmental damage, associated with the operations of Shell, is having on the human rights of people in the Niger Delta.

In the Niger Delta, oil deposits have generated an estimated $600 billion for the Nigerian government and multinational oil companies since the 1960s. However, the majority of the 31 million people living there suffer through enormous poverty, with 75% of those in rural areas having no access to clean water, much of it polluted by oil spills. Moreover, pollution from oil and gas is killing the fish locals rely on for food and income.

Royal Dutch Shell has been the major oil producer in the area for the last 50 years.

Taking on the opportunity of Shell’s Annual General Meeting on the 18th of May, Amnesty London with the help of the local Nigerian community will make a large coordinated effort to inform local communities in the city and bring this issue into the spotlight, with a protest building up online all through April and culminating outside several Shell stations on Saturday 15th May.

Over the last two years, Amnesty International has produced a lot of material on the Niger Delta in general and Shell’s involvement in particular.

For a brief introduction please watch this video of Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty's Dignity Campaign Manager:
http://www.protectthehuman.com/videos/petroleum-pollution-and-poverty

Also, here you will find a general overview, including the downloadable full main report:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/oil-industry-has-brought-poverty-and-pollution-to-niger-delta-20090630

Shell, of course, has already replied to the campaign, but in ways that Amnesty finds totally unacceptable, and with good reason. More details here:
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18340

Finally, for a more general overview of the situation in the Niger Delta please watch this video (28’ long) and the following photo gallery, from The Guardian:
http://www.protectthehuman.com/videos/poison-fire-a-documentary-from-the-niger-delta

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2010/mar/05/curse-black-gold-nigeria?picture=360077948
The objective

Shell’s practices in the Niger Delta would actually not be tolerated for a minute in the UK. Following this thought, what we will be trying to convey is this:

You wouldn’t do it here,
don’t do it there!

Let’s turn London into the Niger Delta!

We will create a chain of protest events (and mini events, i.e. photo shoots) all around London, each of which will highlight what could happen to your local neighbourhood if it was at the receiving end of Shell’s practices…