NIGERIA: SPECIAL APPEAL TO PRESIDENT BUSH ON THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000407

SIPDIS


NSC FOR JFRAZER, JFICKLIN
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W


E.O. 12598: 02/06/2012
TAGS: PREL OPDC NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: SPECIAL APPEAL TO PRESIDENT BUSH ON THE
LAGOS MUNITIONS DISASTER


REF: (A) ABUJA 366; (B) LAGOS 266 AND PREVIOUS


CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER. REASON 1.5.



1. (SBU) On 05 February, Embassy received the following
letter of Special Appeal from President Obasanjo to
President Bush. The original letter has been pouched to
AF/W, and a copy faxed.


Begin text:


February 4, 2002


His Excellency,
Mr. George Bush
President of the United States of America,
White House,
Washington, DC,
USA


Dear President,




I thank you for your expression of support and sympathy
after the recent tragic incident in Lagos.


After canceling my trip to New York, we have been busy
sorting out the details of this disaster. Full disposal of
unexploded ammunition will turn out to be of immense
proportion.


I can confirm with appreciation that a small group of
military experts from the United States and Britain with
their Nigerian counterparts are currently on ground to
assess the scale of work required.


A preliminary report indicates that we will be needing a
very strong team that will be working in the area for a
considerable period of time, in months rather than weeks,
and this is an exercise for which we lack personnel with


technical capacity.


Mr. President, I wish to make this special appeal to the
Government of the United States, to kindly consider
assisting Nigeria in this period of need to provide for us
the technical assistance for the disposal of the unexploded
ammunition and explosives.


Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest
esteem.


Yours sincerely,


/sgd/


Olusegun Obasanjo
End Text:



2. (C) Comment: Ref B thoroughly documents the powerful
expectations of GON officials and ordinary Nigerians that
the USG (with or without the UK) will response to this
terrible tragedy. Minister of State Batagarawa has already
begun to implement some of the measures the assessment team
has recommended. He was critical to the huge success of
OFR-P3, and we know we can work effectively with him.



3. (C) The Obasanjo Administration - and Nigeria's recent
democracy re in deep trouble. If the international
friends of this country do not mobilize to assist the GON
at this critical juncture, the increasing instability here
may worsen and could produce developments inimical to U.S.
national interests, including the War on Terror in which
Nigeria has been a staunch and vocal ally.



4. (C) We are convinced that other donors - notably HMG,
since PM Blair begins an official visit later today - will
feel compelled to chip in if the USG provides the requisite
initial critical mass (exact requirements TBD but certainly
to include robust EOB capability and adequate
medical/medevac support). We urge the Department and the
entire interagency to quickly identify and program adequate
resources to respond to Obasanjo special appeal.
Jeter