THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Nigerian Villagers Fail To Attend Mtg With Oil Cos Wed: “Villagers were protesting what they said was a lack of local benefits from more than four decades of oil drilling around their impoverished community, Kula.” (ShellNews.net) Posted 9 Dec 04

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

LAGOS -- A meeting Wednesday between Royal Dutch/Shell group of companies (RD, SC), ChevronTexaco Corp. (CVX) and villagers from the Kula community failed to take place because the villagers didn't show up, a spokesman for Shell told Dow Jones Newswires.

The companies, government and representatives of the villagers had agreed to hold talks on community demands after hundreds of protesters had occupied oil platforms in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

The spokesman said the community wants the federal government to be involved in the talks.

Hundreds of villagers, including women and children, began protesting Sunday and overran two pumping stations owned by Shell in the Ekulama oil fields and another run by ChevronTexaco in the delta's southeastern swamps.

Villagers were protesting what they said was a lack of local benefits from more than four decades of oil drilling around their impoverished community, Kula.

The spokesman said that despite the community's absence at the meeting they hadn't retaken the pumping stations which they finally vacated Tuesday.

The talks were arranged by the River State government, where the pumping stations are located.

-By Vincent Nwanma, Dow Jones Newswires; +234-1-585-0849; vinwanma@beta.linkserve.com