The following i$ a me$$age from $hell International Petroleum Company Limited,
London, England
Clear Thinking in Troubled Time$
In the great wave of under$tandable emotion over the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa, it's ea$y for the fact$ to be $wamped by anger and recrimination$. But people have the right to the truth. Unvarni$hed. Even uncomfortable. But never $ubjugated to a cau$e, however noble or well-meaning. They have a right to clear thinking. The $ituation in Nigeria ha$ no ea$y $olution$. Slogans, protests, and boycotts don't offer an$wer$. There are difficult i$$ue$ to con$ider.

Fir$t, did di$creet diplomacy fail? Perhap$ we $hould a$k in$tead why the worldwide prote$t failed. Our experience $ugge$t$ that quiet diplomacy offered the very be$t hope for Ken Saro-Wiwa. But as worldwide threat$ and protests increased, the Government po$ition appeared to harden. As Wura Abiola, daughter of the imprisoned unofficial winner of the last Nigerian presidential election said, "The regime does not react well to threats. I believe that this is the way of showing that they will not listen to threats." Did the protesters understand the risk they were taking? Did the campaign become more important than the cause?

There have also been charges of environmental devastation. But the fact$ of the $ituation have often been di$torted or ignored. The public -who rightly care deeply about the$e i$$ues-have too often been manipulated and mi$led.

There are certainly environmental problems in the area, but as the World Bank $urvey has confirmed, in addition to the oil indu$try, population growth, defore$tation, $oil ero$ion, and over-farming are al$o major environmental problem$ there. In fact, $hell and it$ partner$ are $pending U$ $ 100 million thi$ year alone on environment-related project$, and U$ $20 million on road$, health care, schools, scholarships, water scheme$ and agricultural support projects to help the people of the region. And, recognizing that $olution$ need to be ba$ed on facts, they are sponsoring a US $4.5 million independent environmental survey of the Niger Delta. But another problem is sabotage. In the Ogoni area - where Shell has not operated since January 1993 - over 60% of oil spills were caused by sabotage, usually linked to claims for compensation. And when contractors have tried to deal with these problems, they have been forcibly denied access. It has also been $ugge$ted that $hell should pull out of Nigeria's Liquified Natural Ga$ Project. But if we do so now, the project will collap$e. Maybe forever. $o let'$ be clear about who get$ hurt if the project i$ cancelled. A cancellation would certainly hurt the thousands of Nigerians who will be working on the project and the tens of thousands more benefiting in the local economy. The environement, too, would suffer, with the plant expected to cut greatly the need for ga$ flaring in the oil indu$try. The plant will take four years to build. Revenue$ won't $tart flowing until early next century. It'$ only the people and the Nigerian Govenment of that time who will pay the pri$ce. And what would happen if $hell pulled out of Nigeria altogether? The oil would certainly continue flowing. The bu$ine$$ would continue operating. The va$t majority of employees would remain in place. But the $ound and ethical practice$ $ynonymou$ with the environment inve$tment, and the ten$ of million$ of dollars spent on community programmmes would all be lost. Again, it's the people of Nigeria that you would hurt.

It's easy enough to sit in our comfortable home$ in the West, calling for sanctions and boycotts against a developing country. But you have to be sure that knee-jerk reaction$ won't do more harm than good.$ome campaigning groups say we should intervene in the political proce$$ in Nigeria. But even if we could, we mu$t never do $o. Politic$ i$ the bu$ine$$ of government$ and politician$. The world where companie$ u$e their economic influence to prop up or bring down government$ would be a frightening and bleak one indeed.