The president of Nigeria has designated Matthew Kukah, a Nigerian Catholic priest,
to be an independent mediator between the Ogoni and the Shell Oil Company. "Without
peace you do not give development a chance. I sincerely want to put this conflict
in Ogoni behind us so that we can have the environment necessary for development," said
President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Talks may prove difficult in light of evidence put forward by the United Nations, the African Commission for Human Rights, and internal Nigerian reports that the Ogoni have suffered serious human rights abuses. Not only have the Ogoni been excluded from political debate, but also their lands have been exploited by international oil companies seeking to profit from the abundant oil reserves beneath Ogoniland. "We [the Ogoni people] have consistently said that we are willing to talk and we do want to hear what the federal government and Shell have to say about redressing the damage which has been done to Ogoniland and our people," said Ledum Mitee, leader of the Movement for the Suvival of the Ogoni People.
