Harvard Should Divest From Shell

Two weeks ago, the government of Nigeria demonstrated its contempt for justice by hanging Ken Saro-Wiwa, a nominee for the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, and eight other environmental activists. Hoping to silence one of its most eloquent critic, the Nigerian military junta executed Saro-Wiwa after a widely-condemned show trial for his alleged role in the deaths of four tribal chiefs killed during a riot. Harvard should divest itself of interests in companies that continue to do business in Nigeria despite its oppressive regime.

Sao-Wiwa was hardly a violent threat to the state of Nigeria, but his criticism of oil companies endangered the cash flow to the ruling junta. He had actively campaigned against the environmental destruction on his tribal land caused by Shell Oil Company. As a result of Saro-Wiwa's efforts, Shell ended oil mining in the author's homeland, much to the dismay of the military junta.

In addition to being a vocal environmentalist, Saro-Wiwa was an accomplished poet, playwright, publisher and father of four. As a young person, Saro-Wiwa experienced and wrote about the horror of Nigeria's civil wars and tribal conflicts, leading him to advocate nonviolent protest against the military junta.

The Nigerian government ignored the worldwide pleas for clemency and protests against Saro-Wiwa's unjust conviction. After the execution, the military junta dismissed the outrage expressed by South African President Nelson Mandela, President Clinton and British Prime Minister John Major.

The intransigence of Nigeria's military leaders towards global opinion is not surprising. General Sani Abacha, Nigeria's dictator, and other military leaders have profited enormously from oil revenues reaped by Shell's exploitation of Saro-Wiwa's homeland and other parts of the country. To ensure continued profits from the oil industry, the military government of Nigeria instituted a crackdown resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 of Saro-Wiwa's tribes people. In 1993, during the transition from military to civil government, Abacha imprisoned Chief Moshood Abiola, the democratically chosen president, declaring the election invalid.

Although Shell's chief executive did send a personal to Nigeria's leaders to spare Sao-Wiwa's life, it was clearly a token gesture. As long as companies such as Shell continue to support the military junta by mining Nigerian oil, and, as long as institutions like Harvard invest in Shell, human rights abuses such as Saro-Wiwa's unjust execution will continue.

After the hangings, the World Bank canceled a $100 million loan to Nigeria. Supporters of Saro-Wiwa are calling for a boycott of Nigerian oil, half of which is exported to the United States. Harvard should join the rest of the world in giving Nigeria's military leaders a clear financial incentive to respect human rights.

In the wake of the Nigerian executions, many students have expressed support for Saro-Wiwa's cause, calling upon Harvard to break its financial relationship with Shell Oil. Over 100 students attended a vigil for Saro-Wiwa sponsored by Amnesty International and the Harvard African Student Association and the Environmental Action Committee where speakers called for a boycott of Nigerian oil.

Leading the student movement is Hafsat D. Abiola '96, daughter of the imprisoned Nigerian president-elect. Last week, Abiola convinced the Undergraduate Council to pass a resolution asking the Board of Overseers to divest from oil companies investing in Nigeria.

Students are justified in demanding that Harvard act morally and not invest its funds to support a government that so flagrantly violates human rights. Hopefully, the Corporation will heed the call of students and honor Saro-Wiwa's cause by divesting its reported $1 million investment in Shell Oil.