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12 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 47/1998
Oil multinational Mobil will raise issues of democracy and human rights with Nigeria's military regime.
That was the pledge yesterday from Mobil Chairman Lucio Noto. He was speaking at the company's annual shareholders' meeting in Fairfax, USA.
And, say observers at the meeting, Noto specifically undertook to raise the cases of jailed Nigerian oilworkers' leaders Frank Kokori and Milton Dabibi.
Noto is due to meet leaders of Nigeria's military regime this autumn. While promising to raise rights issues with them, Noto yesterday denied that Mobil has any great influence with the Nigerian government.
This view was countered by two Nigerian women who intervened in the debate from the floor of the meeting.
Mobil and other oil multinationals have enormous clout, insisted Cordelia Kokori, because "the Nigerian government eats, breathes and sleeps oil." In an emotive speech, she appealed directly to Noto to help bring about the release of her father, Frank Kokori. He is the General Secretary of Nigerian oil and gas workers' NUPENG, and he has been held without charge or trial by the Nigerian regime since 1994. His colleague Milton Dabibi, General Secretary of Nigerian oil and gas workers' union PENGASSAN, has similarly been detained without charge or trial since January 1996. Both men's health is continuing to deteriorate. Both are recognised by Amnesty International as prisoners of conscience.
Cordelia Kokori told the Mobil shareholders that she could not now return to Nigeria, as she would immediately be arrested. "I don't know when I will see my father and mother again."
The other Nigerian speaker at yesterday's meeting was Hafsat Abiola. Her father, detained politician Moshood Abiola, is thought to have won the Nigerian presidential elections that were annulled by the regime in 1993. Her mother, Kudirat Abiola, was also a politically prominent Nigerian. Kudirat was gunned down in 1996 while campaigning for her husband's release.
Oil money "purchased the guns to assassinate my mother," Hafsat Abiola told Noto.
Yesterday's debate was sparked by a shareholder resolution pressing Mobil to review its investments in Nigeria in the light of continuing human rights violations there.
The two Mobil shareholders tabling the motion were Franklin Research and Development Corporation, a US-based socially responsible investment firm with 500 million US dollars in client assets, and the Service Employees International Union Master Trust.
Also backed by New York City's pension funds, another important Mobil shareholder, the motion asked the board of directors to review and develop guidelines for company investments in countries where "there is a pattern of ongoing and systematic violation of human rights; a government is illegitimate; there is a call by human right advocates, pro-democracy organisations or legitimately elected representatives for economic sanctions; and Mobil's long-term financial performance may be potentially threatened by international criticism, economic sanctions and boycotts by consumers and local governments."
The resolution notes that all of these factors are in place in Nigeria. Mobil is in direct partnership with the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and has made payments, including royalties, fees and taxes, to the military government. The resolution further notes that the UN's International Labour Organisation has found Nigeria in violation of internationally-accepted labour standards and has demanded the release of Kokori, Dabibi and others held incommunicado without charge or trial.
"We welcome Mobil's commitment to take action on behalf of Kokori and Dabibi," said Andrew Stern, President of the 1.1-million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU). "Reports from Nigeria indicate that these union leaders are very sick and may die in jail." Mobil, he insisted, must "use its influence with the Nigerian government to seek the release of the duly elected leaders of its Nigerian employees."
Like NUPENG and PENGASSAN, the SEIU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), which is leading a worldwide campaign to secure Dabibi's and Kokori's release.
Opposed by Noto, the resolution nevertheless garnered more than the 6 percent of shareholder votes needed to reintroduce it next year if necessary.
For the Franklin Research and Development Corporation, Simon Billenness emphasised that Noto "specifically committed to bringing up the cases of Milton Dabibi, Frank Kokori and other prisoners.
"This is what we've been pressing Mobil to do," Billenness said. He felt "sure that Mobil will live up to its commitment."
"Mobil's new pledge is certainly very welcome, and we congratulate them on their clear view of their own longer-term interests in Nigeria," commented ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe. "We also congratulate the ICEM's American affiliates on their continuing campaign of pressure for our Nigerian brothers' release.
"The other major oil companies operating in Nigeria should now publicly make the same commitment as Mobil. The ICEM also renews its call to the world's governments to impose sanctions on Nigeria, including an oil boycott, unless the regime moves immediately to release the detainees and to restore full human rights, including trade union rights. In particular, we call on the heads of government of the G8 countries, meeting in England this weekend, to announce decisive and effective sanctions against the Nigerian regime until the repression ceases."
That was the pledge yesterday from Mobil Chairman Lucio Noto. He was speaking at the company's annual shareholders' meeting in Fairfax, USA.
And, say observers at the meeting, Noto specifically undertook to raise the cases of jailed Nigerian oilworkers' leaders Frank Kokori and Milton Dabibi.
Noto is due to meet leaders of Nigeria's military regime this autumn. While promising to raise rights issues with them, Noto yesterday denied that Mobil has any great influence with the Nigerian government.
This view was countered by two Nigerian women who intervened in the debate from the floor of the meeting.
Mobil and other oil multinationals have enormous clout, insisted Cordelia Kokori, because "the Nigerian government eats, breathes and sleeps oil." In an emotive speech, she appealed directly to Noto to help bring about the release of her father, Frank Kokori. He is the General Secretary of Nigerian oil and gas workers' NUPENG, and he has been held without charge or trial by the Nigerian regime since 1994. His colleague Milton Dabibi, General Secretary of Nigerian oil and gas workers' union PENGASSAN, has similarly been detained without charge or trial since January 1996. Both men's health is continuing to deteriorate. Both are recognised by Amnesty International as prisoners of conscience.
Cordelia Kokori told the Mobil shareholders that she could not now return to Nigeria, as she would immediately be arrested. "I don't know when I will see my father and mother again."
The other Nigerian speaker at yesterday's meeting was Hafsat Abiola. Her father, detained politician Moshood Abiola, is thought to have won the Nigerian presidential elections that were annulled by the regime in 1993. Her mother, Kudirat Abiola, was also a politically prominent Nigerian. Kudirat was gunned down in 1996 while campaigning for her husband's release.
Oil money "purchased the guns to assassinate my mother," Hafsat Abiola told Noto.
Yesterday's debate was sparked by a shareholder resolution pressing Mobil to review its investments in Nigeria in the light of continuing human rights violations there.
The two Mobil shareholders tabling the motion were Franklin Research and Development Corporation, a US-based socially responsible investment firm with 500 million US dollars in client assets, and the Service Employees International Union Master Trust.
Also backed by New York City's pension funds, another important Mobil shareholder, the motion asked the board of directors to review and develop guidelines for company investments in countries where "there is a pattern of ongoing and systematic violation of human rights; a government is illegitimate; there is a call by human right advocates, pro-democracy organisations or legitimately elected representatives for economic sanctions; and Mobil's long-term financial performance may be potentially threatened by international criticism, economic sanctions and boycotts by consumers and local governments."
The resolution notes that all of these factors are in place in Nigeria. Mobil is in direct partnership with the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and has made payments, including royalties, fees and taxes, to the military government. The resolution further notes that the UN's International Labour Organisation has found Nigeria in violation of internationally-accepted labour standards and has demanded the release of Kokori, Dabibi and others held incommunicado without charge or trial.
"We welcome Mobil's commitment to take action on behalf of Kokori and Dabibi," said Andrew Stern, President of the 1.1-million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU). "Reports from Nigeria indicate that these union leaders are very sick and may die in jail." Mobil, he insisted, must "use its influence with the Nigerian government to seek the release of the duly elected leaders of its Nigerian employees."
Like NUPENG and PENGASSAN, the SEIU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), which is leading a worldwide campaign to secure Dabibi's and Kokori's release.
Opposed by Noto, the resolution nevertheless garnered more than the 6 percent of shareholder votes needed to reintroduce it next year if necessary.
For the Franklin Research and Development Corporation, Simon Billenness emphasised that Noto "specifically committed to bringing up the cases of Milton Dabibi, Frank Kokori and other prisoners.
"This is what we've been pressing Mobil to do," Billenness said. He felt "sure that Mobil will live up to its commitment."
"Mobil's new pledge is certainly very welcome, and we congratulate them on their clear view of their own longer-term interests in Nigeria," commented ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe. "We also congratulate the ICEM's American affiliates on their continuing campaign of pressure for our Nigerian brothers' release.
"The other major oil companies operating in Nigeria should now publicly make the same commitment as Mobil. The ICEM also renews its call to the world's governments to impose sanctions on Nigeria, including an oil boycott, unless the regime moves immediately to release the detainees and to restore full human rights, including trade union rights. In particular, we call on the heads of government of the G8 countries, meeting in England this weekend, to announce decisive and effective sanctions against the Nigerian regime until the repression ceases."