Action Alert:
Tell Shell to spend it's money cleaning its mess in Nigeria, not it's image!

April 2, 1999

Contents:  Who to Write to   |   Sample Postcard   |   Resources & more actions!

Introduction

Poor Royal Dutch/Shell feels its image has been harmed by its ongoing pollution and involvement in human rights abuses in Nigeria. To remedy this public relations problem, Shell decided to spend $32 million on an advertising campaign that projects the image of an environmentally and human rights responsible corporation, instead of trying to repair Shell's damage to the Niger Delta.

There are countless uses for this money that would actually work to start solving the problems caused and facilitated by Shell in Nigeria's oil rich Niger Delta. In Ogoni alone, Shell could clean up spills, begin rehabilitating areas damaged by thirty years of gas flares, get rid of pipelines (which continue to cause environmental damage and crisscross communities and farm areas), and rebuild villages destroyed by Nigerian military to silence protest against Shell.

Throughout the Niger Delta, Shell needs to work to listen to the concerns of communities: gas flares, prevention and clean up of spills, the lack of adequate monitoring devices and systems, and the dire poverty of many communities living within a stone's throw of Shell facilities are only some of the many concerns being voiced today in the Niger Delta. Shell also needs to directly address the environmental and human rights concerns raised by Ijaw groups in the December 1998 Kaiama Declaration and the following Operation Climate Change. The Ijaw are Nigeria's forth largest ethnic group and the largest minority in the Niger Delta.

Let's tell Shell to stop playing hiding behind expensive public relations schemes and start cleaning up its mess! Get your message heard!

Who you can write to:

In the United States: Send Jack Little, CEO of Shell Oil (Royal Dutch/Shell's U.S. corporation) a postcard asking why he is spending money improving Shell's image, not cleaning up Shell's mess in Nigeria!

Outside the United States, make and distribute postcards targeting your country's Shell company (you can find addresses at Shell's web site) or targeting Royal Dutch/Shell's CEO, Mark Moody Stuart (address below).

Sample text

Front:
Jack, Why is Shell spending $32 million to clean up its image not its mess in Nigeria?
Back:
Dear Jack Little, Shell just started a $32 million ad campaign to improve its image. But Nigeria's Niger Delta remains despoiled by Shell's leaks, spills and pollution. Shell should demonstrate its commitment to human rights and the environment by cleaning up its mess in Ogoniland and the many other regions of Nigeria suffering from Shell's environmental negligence. SPEND THE MONEY CLEANING UP YOUR MESS, NOT YOUR IMAGE! Sincerely, Address:	Jack E. Little   Shell Oil Company   PO Box 2463   Houston, Texas   72252, USA

More that you can do

Read about Shell's new ad campaign at

Read about Shell (and other corporations) giving money to the UN. Background.

Email Shell on the new new "social concerns" forum of its website. Remember to use Shell's words to show Shell's hypocrisy in pursuing a p.r. campaign before cleaning up the Niger Delta and respecting the human rights and dignity of communities in the Niger Delta.

Post cards are great for getting lots of people to send expressions of their opinions, but don't forget to send letters! Helpful addresses:

Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of the Board of Directors
President and Managing Director,
Royal Dutch/Shell Petroleum Company
Carel van Bylandtlaan 30
2596 HR, The Hague
The Netherlands
Fax 31-70-377-2616

Jack E. Little, President and CEO
Shell Oil Company
PO Box 2463
Houston, Texas 72252, USA
Fax 1-713-241-5522

Keep spreading the word about Shell's environmental devastation in Nigeria and role in human rights abuses!