How His Story Began:
Simeon Bassi Kpoturu was born in Deeyor community, Gokana Local Government Area of Ogoni, Rivers State – one of the oil-rich states in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. As a young Ogoni boy growing up in the Gokana kingdom of Ogoni, I witnessed the arrival of Shell into the kingdom in 1958 to commence oil and gas extractions activities.
Environmental Pollution & Degradation:
Environmental pollution started from the very first day that Shell commenced extraction activities. The reason been that gas-flaring started from the very moment that Shell began operations. Instead of harnessing the gas, the company flared it. Continued flaring of gas and equipment failures that later followed resulted to environmental degradation.
The atmosphere became saturated with black particles, dropping down upon the people, their land, streams and creeks. Rainwater washed it into the soil to make it acidic which no longer supported any crop-yield. Health problems were on the increase as breathing difficulties were caused and aggravated though air pollution. Also, the fact that stream-waters were polluted and unsafe for human
consumption, while the people were still drinking them in the absence of any pipe-borne water, further worsened the health problems among the people.
There were frequent incidents of oil-spills all over Ogoni due to equipment failures. They occurred on land, in the streams, and in the creeks, wiping away sources of livelihoods of the people and depriving them of vital nutrients in their diets.
Education:
He did his primary and secondary education in Ogoni during the active years of Shell’s operations there. He saw it all in Ogoni, Nigeria, before he left for London to further his education.
Activism:
In 1990, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) was formed in Nigeria to organise activists to get involved in protesting against Shell and the military dictatorship governing Nigeria at the time. The Ogoni leaders accused them of jointly responsible for causing environmental degradation in Ogoni.
Mr Simeon B. Kpoturu was already in London at the time as a student. It was natural for him to get involved in activism to protect the Ogoni environment in Nigeria. He grew up in Ogoni, Nigeria and witnessed the atrocities inflicted upon the Ogoni environment by the reckless oil extraction activities of Shell, it was quite
easy for him to get involved in activism.
He became one of the founding members of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) – UK. In the 1990s, at the peak of Ogoni campaigns in Nigeria, he got involved in carrying out protest events at Shell Headquarters in London, also at the premises of the Nigeria High Commission in London.
The protests in Nigeria led to arresting of nine activists who were charged with inciting murder of four prominent Ogoni chiefs. A charge they all denied of knowing nothing about. They were tried through a military court with instruction to make them guilty of the charge against them. They were not tried through the normal court systems, neither were they allowed any right of appeal.
The nine activists were found guilty and condemned to death by hanging. They were executed on 10th November 1995. Here are their names:
1. Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa
2. Dr. Barinem Kiobel
3. John Kpuinen
4. Baribor Bera
5. Felix Nuate
6. Nordu Eawo
7. Saturday Dobee
8. Paul Levura
9. Daniel Gbokoo
The aim behind the executions was to deter other oil-bearing communities, in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, suffering from the same environmental challenges similar to the Ogoni people from demanding for their legitimate rights.
Sharing My Personal Experiences: Book & Manual.
As a way of sharing my personal experiences with those who care about environmental issues, I authored a book titled, OGONI DESERVES JUSTICE. This book contains my personal first-hand narrative of the circumstances of the Ogoni people as an indigenous oil-bearing community in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. It covers how the activities of Shell as a multinational oil giant, negatively affected the Ogoni environment, life and livelihoods.
In the book, you will find the role I played as an international activist of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP)-UK, based in London.
The manual, titled, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, is an extension of the Ogoni circumstances into global issues. It focuses on pollution, climate change/global warming and bio-diversity loss as global challenges. It emphasises how these issues affect the health, life and livelihoods of people globally.
The manual helps us to understand that pollution and climate change are caused by human activities. It also helps us to know the different organisations that are
involved in protecting planet-earth. It calls for collective efforts (individuals and corporate bodies) in tackling climate change and protecting planet-earth.
Above all, it stresses the need of understanding the fact that “HEALTH IS WEALTH”. Health itself depends much on the environment, and that it is not possible to enjoy great material wealth with poor health. Destroying the human environment in pursuit of material wealth is the worst form of human frailties.