Free Nigeria Movement
P.O. Box 441395
Indianapolis, IN 46244
Phone/Fax (3170216-4590
Email: FNM@ix.netcom.com
Listserv: Maiser@listserv.butler.edu, text of message "SUBSCRIBE
FREENIGERIA"
Radio Station: Voice of Free Nigeria (VoFN) 11.680 kHz, every Saturday
at 1900Hrs GMT (8:OOpm Nigerian Time)
"Nigeria; Nazi Germany of the 90s"
-Ibrahim H. Muhammed
For Immediate Release
(Please distribute widely)
Urgent action needed to prevent the City of Oakland Unified School
District Board from accepting a $2,000,000 endowment from Shell Oil
Contact: Nasiru Ikharo at (317)216-4590 or FNM@ix.netcom.com
Wednesday, August 6th 1997
The board members of the City of Oakland Unified School district are
set to vote today on whether to accept a $100,000 scholarship fund for
the "Shell Oakland Scholars Program" and a $2,000,000 endowment for
the "Shell Youth Training Academy".
The Free Nigeria Movement strongly opposes this award, which is seen
primarily as a method of projecting a positive public image by Shell
Oil in the Bay Area. Today (8/6/97), members of the Free Nigeria
Movement, as well as other friends of Nigeria, will be picketing the
School Board Meeting, as well as presenting their argument before the
board.
It can be recalled that the City of Oakland Council, was the very
first city in the United States to pass binding sanctions against the
despotic and illegitimate regime of General Sanni Abacha of Nigeria. A
move which cost Shell Oil a lot of revenue and negative publicity.
Even thought the school board is independent of the city council, its
decision will still directly affect the city of Oakland, where
majority of the children are enrolled in the public school system.
If it possible, please join us in picketing tonight, the venue is the
Paul Robeson Building, located at 1025 2nd Avenue Oakland. All
participants are expected to meet in front of the building at 6:50pm
Oakland time, from where the picketing is expected to commence. If you
turn up, please bring your whistles, signs and other related picketing
materials.
If you can't turn up, please call the Oakland School Board, and ask
the board members to reject Shell's gifts. The number to call is
(510)879-8199, and the board members are:
Robert Spencer, Kenneth Rice, Lucella Harrison, Jean Quan, Noel Gallo,
Toni Cook, and Jason Hodge.
Below is an article that appeared in today's copy (8/6/97) of the
Oakland Tribune.
------
http://www.cyberia-ang.com/webnews/tribune2/o_a_c_t1bs106.htm
School vote pits boycott, bounty
Activists oppose Shell Oil funding of student programs in Oakland
Wednesday, August 06, 1997
By
Jonathan Schorr
STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND -- The Oakland school board faces a protest tonight over
proposed
partnerships worth more than $2 million with Shell Oil, which has
been linked
to environmental damage and political repression in Nigeria.
The cities of Oakland and Berkeley are boycotting Shell and other
companies
doing business with Nigeria because of human rights abuses there.
But the city
boycott does not affect the school board.
At tonight's meeting, the school board will consider two proposals:
creation of
the Shell Youth Training Academy, where students will learn
business skills,
and the Shell Oakland Scholars Program.
The $100,000 scholarships were awarded last month, and the planning
for the
academy is well under way. Shell values the training center at $2
million.
Tonight, activists from the Nigerian community are expected to
oppose
accepting the money, which they consider a public relations ploy to
restore
Shell's reputation. Human rights activists have linked Shell with
the 1995
execution of dissident playwright Ken Saro-Wiwa and other abuses,
and
Saro-Wiwa's brother has sued Shell over the death. Some have called
for a
boycott of Shell.
"What audacity of Shell to come here under the guise of a public
relations
campaign to counter our boycott, which is gaining ground," said
Tunde
Okorodudu of Oakland, who is president of the Free Nigeria
Movement. "I know
they want money, but they shouldn't take money from the devil."
Okorodudu, who has three children in the Oakland public schools,
said the board
should refuse the partnerships "on a moral ground ... but I realize
it is going to
be a difficult assignment." MB-1
Indeed, the agreements seem likely to pass. Several board members
Tuesday said
they were not aware of the political issues surrounding Shell, and
said they
would vote in favor of the agreement.
"I'm here to educate kids," said board member Bob Spencer. "People
didn't elect
me to the school board to make judgments about corporate behavior.
That's for
human rights activists to do. ... I'm willing to partner with
anybody who will
lend a hand."
School Superintendent Carolyn Getridge, who also was unaware of the
controversy surrounding Shell Oil, called the company "a true
partner in
education to this community."
Board member Toni Cook, however, said she would look into the
issue, and
would consider voting no. "We have to be consistent in the morality
and ethics
that we teach young people," she said.
Shell's American representatives would not discuss the activities
of their parent
company, Royal Dutch Shell, in Nigeria. But they argued it would be
a loss for
children if the board turned down its largess.
"I don't think that makes sense," said Robert Russ, regional
manager of
community relations for Shell. "You're going to say to the needy
kids in
Oakland, 'Don't take Shell's money because of a political issue?"'
He said Shell was offering the partnerships because it saw a need
for greater
community involvement after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Shell has
established
training and scholarship programs in Los Angeles similar to the
ones under
consideration in Oakland.
"We need to be a part of (the Oakland) community and we need to
give back and
be a solution to the problems," Russ said.
In a statement, Shell's Nigerian subsidiary defended itself from
the allegations
made by human rights activists. The company said it had interceded
with the
Nigerian government not to execute Saro-Wiwa, and had not
"devastated the
(Nigerian) environment."
It confirmed it buys guns for Nigerian police who guard its plants,
which it said
all oil companies are required to do, and said the last purchase
was 15 years ago.
© 1997 Alameda Newspapers, Inc.
All rights reserved
Title: School vote pits boycott, bounty
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School vote pits boycott, bountyActivists oppose Shell Oil funding of student programs in OaklandWednesday, August 06, 1997 STAFF WRITER OAKLAND -- The Oakland school board faces a protest tonight over proposed partnerships worth more than $2 million with Shell Oil, which has been linked to environmental damage and political repression in Nigeria. The cities of Oakland and Berkeley are boycotting Shell and other companies doing business with Nigeria because of human rights abuses there. But the city boycott does not affect the school board. At tonight's meeting, the school board will consider two proposals: creation of the Shell Youth Training Academy, where students will learn business skills, and the Shell Oakland Scholars Program. The $100,000 scholarships were awarded last month, and the planning for the academy is well under way. Shell values the training center at $2 million. Tonight, activists from the Nigerian community are expected to oppose accepting the money, which they consider a public relations ploy to restore Shell's reputation. Human rights activists have linked Shell with the 1995 execution of dissident playwright Ken Saro-Wiwa and other abuses, and Saro-Wiwa's brother has sued Shell over the death. Some have called for a boycott of Shell. "What audacity of Shell to come here under the guise of a public relations campaign to counter our boycott, which is gaining ground," said Tunde Okorodudu of Oakland, who is president of the Free Nigeria Movement. "I know they want money, but they shouldn't take money from the devil." Okorodudu, who has three children in the Oakland public schools, said the board should refuse the partnerships "on a moral ground ... but I realize it is going to be a difficult assignment." MB-1 Indeed, the agreements seem likely to pass. Several board members Tuesday said they were not aware of the political issues surrounding Shell, and said they would vote in favor of the agreement. "I'm here to educate kids," said board member Bob Spencer. "People didn't elect me to the school board to make judgments about corporate behavior. That's for human rights activists to do. ... I'm willing to partner with anybody who will lend a hand." School Superintendent Carolyn Getridge, who also was unaware of the controversy surrounding Shell Oil, called the company "a true partner in education to this community." Board member Toni Cook, however, said she would look into the issue, and would consider voting no. "We have to be consistent in the morality and ethics that we teach young people," she said. Shell's American representatives would not discuss the activities of their parent company, Royal Dutch Shell, in Nigeria. But they argued it would be a loss for children if the board turned down its largess. "I don't think that makes sense," said Robert Russ, regional manager of community relations for Shell. "You're going to say to the needy kids in Oakland, 'Don't take Shell's money because of a political issue?"' He said Shell was offering the partnerships because it saw a need for greater community involvement after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Shell has established training and scholarship programs in Los Angeles similar to the ones under consideration in Oakland. "We need to be a part of (the Oakland) community and we need to give back and be a solution to the problems," Russ said. In a statement, Shell's Nigerian subsidiary defended itself from the allegations made by human rights activists. The company said it had interceded with the Nigerian government not to execute Saro-Wiwa, and had not "devastated the (Nigerian) environment." It confirmed it buys guns for Nigerian police who guard its plants, which it said all oil companies are required to do, and said the last purchase was 15 years ago. |