The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
11 Dec 2010
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country has been infiltrated by oil company, Shell, the leaked WikiLeaks diplomatic cables reveal.
According to cables from the US State Department, an American diplomat documents a meeting with a top executive from Royal Dutch Shell who states that the company had access to everything that was being done in the country. Shell has seconded staff to every relevant oil ministry giving them unparalleled access to government decision making in Nigeria.
In the 1990's, environmental activist, Ken Saro Wiwa, launched a peaceful campaign against the oil company's activities in the Niger Delta, he and eight others were arrested by the Nigerian government and hastily executed in 1995. The official charge against them was murder, but witnesses later disclosed that they received bribes from Shell in exchange for false testimony. Those claims led to a lawsuit against the country in the US, which was settled last year, for more than US$15 million.
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