AN UNPRODUCTIVE MEETING WITH THE PLATEAU STATE SOLE

UNCLAS ABUJA 001147 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV ASEC PREL NI SUBJECT: AN UNPRODUCTIVE MEETING WITH THE PLATEAU STATE SOLE ADMINISTRATOR REF: ABUJA 786 ¶1. Summary: In a brief meeting with a Mission team, the Plateau State Sole Administrator (a) declined to discuss his plans for Plateau State, (b) facilitated a trip to visit a conflict-torn village in eastern Plateau State, and (c) berated the head of the National Refugee Commission in front of the Mission team. ¶2. Plateau State Sole Administrator General (retired) M. Chris Alli met with Poloff on Thursday morning, June 24. Also present were two visiting Econoffs from Washington, FSN Polspecialist, Chairman of the National Refugee Commission Professor Igna Gabriel, and an official from the Plateau State agency responsible for IDPs. ¶3. Poloff opened the meeting by presenting Alli a letter of greetings from the Ambassador. Alli read the letter, then put it aside without comment and invited questions. ¶4. Poloff asked Alli of his general plans for Plateau State for the remainder of the six-month State of Emergency (SOE). Alli replied, "Let me ask you instead, what are your plans?" Poloff spoke of his human rights reporting duties, and that the Yelwa violence in early May (reftel) was of interest. Alli invited the Mission team to visit Yelwa, and said that he did not want to "prejudice anyone" by talking about Yelwa before the visit, then declined to answer any further questions, about the SOE or general Plateau State security issues. ¶5. Alli offered a police escort for the trip to Yelwa, and then berated Prof. Gabriel at length, in our presence, for not arranging for the security detail beforehand. Poloff asked to make an appointment with Alli after the Yelwa visit, but Alli declined, repeating the same phrase, "go and see first." Alli did assign one Mobile Police officer, who rode with the Mission team on the Yelwa visit later that day (septel). CAMPBELL