OVERVIEW

Nigerian delta has some of the best agricultural land in Africa. It has vast oil resources. Area is densely populated by many different tribal groups . Ogoni people have lived there for over 500 years. The traditional lifestyle of the Ogoni is based on fishing in the river waters and farming yams and cassava on the fertile land of the delta. The land and water are more than a food source for the Ogoni.

NIGERIA
Factors hampering the Ogoni struggle is the organization of the Nigerian state Nigerian region has been dominated by three large ethnic groups - the Hausa-Fulani, the Yoruba and the Ibo.

The smaller ethnic groups, such as the Ogoni, have been systematically excluded from positions of power.
The British colonial government exploited this situation

Under the 1989 constitution, mineral rights in Nigeria are held by the federal government, a structure which has been unresponsive to Ogoni grievances even under 'democratic' governments.

Problems faced by Ogony people

Oil companies, including Shell, set up operations- the land, water, and air have been polluted to such a great extent. Ogoni peoples livelihood was threatened. Consumption of their land by oil drilling operations has forced many Ogoni off of their land Forced removal-over 100,000 Ogoni were living as refuge in the neighboring country of Benin.

Oil spills and industrial waste were dumped into the Niger River Delta.

Water contamination. Air pollution-The natural gas that is a byproduct of drilling is flared off horizontally from five flaring stations, some of which are near homes and villages. This lead to cancer, asthma, and other lung diseases. There was reduced crop yield and plant growth on nearby farms. At least one hundred pumping stations and pipelines crisscross Ogoniland.

The leaks and spills of oil were common occurrence.

1518 Oil spill incidences were recorded in the Niger Delta, over 1.5 million gallons of which were a result of Shells operations.

Protests
40% of the Shellss oil spills were in Nigeria.

The Ogoni people have been victims of human right violations for many years. In 1993, Ogony people protested to stop contractors from laying a new pipeline for Shell. Shells control over the Nigerian government by bribing, helped them to implement unethical practices. The villagers who opposed this, were killed.

 27 villages were raided, resulting in the death of 2,000 Ogoni people and displacement of 80,000. Death and execution of concern for land resulted in the massive opposition against the company from all corners of the world. The Ogoni rose to international attention after a massive public protest campaign against Shell Oil, led by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP).

Conclusion
MOSOP made their complaints and concerns clear through the Ogoni Bill of Rights. They gained the support of large international organizations like Greenpeace and Amnesty International .

These international organizations protested against Shell in cities around the world.
They organized the people for non-violent protests on numerous occasions and brought the complaints to the Nigerian government This resulted in the withdrawal of Shell from Ogoniland.

Shell's image has been badly damaged .

It is still seen by many as a company that damages the environment and supports corrupt regimes.

It has been charged with being too slow in cleaning up oil spills by NGOs and other international campaigners
By the end of January 1994, the eight major oil companies estimate their losses during 1993 at 200 million dollars.