IJAW RULER: ATTACKS WILL CONTINUE 2-3 MONTHS AS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000348

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC
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CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR
ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH
SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON
OSLO FOR HELENA SCHRADER
DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY
TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS
COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS
STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR FLISER
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STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER
STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER NI
SUBJECT: IJAW RULER: ATTACKS WILL CONTINUE 2-3 MONTHS AS
OBASANJO'S "SEND OFF"

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Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne for reasons 1.4 (B) and (
D)


1. (C) Summary: A paramount Ijaw Ruler from Warri, Delta
State, described the recent spate of militant attacks as a
"send off" gift for President Obasanjo and a warning to the
incoming Administration that Niger Delta Ijaws would not
abide the status quo. "Jomo Gbomo" and "Cynthia White" are
spokespersons for criminals, he said. He referred to Tom
Polo as the "real" Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger
Delta (MEND),characterizing Polo's fight against local
government theft of community monies and federal government's
failure to share resources as "bona fide" grievances. End
Summary.

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Militant Attacks: President Obasanjo's Send Off
-------------- --


2. (C) On May 8, Poloffs met His Royal Majesty Pere ("Pere"
means king in Ijaw) Charles E. Ayemi-Botu, Paramount Ruler of
the Seimbiri Kingdom of Burutu near Warri, Delta State.
Ayemi-Botu is the National Executive Chairman of the
Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of
Nigeria (TROMPCON). Ayemi-Botu castigated Nigerian leaders
for not developing the Niger Delta. He quipped that
President Obasanjo's Administration "gave with its right arm
and took with its left." Disregard for and abandonment of
Niger Delta indigenes has fueled legitimate grievances as
well as militant and criminal attacks, he said.


3. (C) Burutu local government area (LGA) is one of the
richest producing areas in Delta State, third after the Warri
Southwest and Warri North LGAs, with approximately 12 percent
of the state's oil. The community gains very little from the
yields, Ayemi-Botu said. The LGA, whose Chairman was a boat
driver before he was selected for the position, enriches
itself at the expense of the people.


4. (C) Before money is distributed to the communities, the
funds are divided among the local government council chairman
and the council members, the Pere said. Every month, the LGA
Chairman visits Lagos to "settle" the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC). The EFCC in Abuja is "alright", he
said, but the EFCC in Lagos is corrupt and demands between
5-10 million naira (approximately USD 40,000-80,000) every
month from the LGA. In exchange, it turns a blind eye to the
plunder.


5. (C) The Ijaws have been systematically discriminated
against, asserted Ayemi-Botu. Oil-bearing lands were carved
from Delta State and given unilaterally by President Obasanjo
to Ondo State to assure it would become one of Nigeria's oil
producing states and share in oil revenues. The Olokola Oil
Free Trade Zone, originally planned for the Escravos area in
Delta State, was shifted by President Obasanjo to the border
of Ondo and Ogun states, Pere Charles groused. Only the
Itsekiri and Urhobo benefit from Chevron's Global Memoranda
of Understanding (GMOU) for Escravos, he alleged.


6. (C) Ayemi-Botu said the Ijaw actively struggle against

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the injustices of the Niger Delta. He recounted a Nigerian
adage which says, "If a Nigerian man says he will do
something this morning, it may not happen this morning, but
it will happen by noon." He related the adage to imply the
militant threats should be taken seriously, although the time
table the militants have for execution of their activities is
susceptible to significant slippage. Pere Charles believed
Niger Delta militants would continue to attack multinational
companies in the region. He described these attacks as the
militants' "send off" gift to President Obasanjo and a
warning to the successor administration. He predicted the
attacks would continue for two to three months, after which
things would again quiet down.


7. (C) Pere Charles described the problems racking the Ijaw
community. His people have no potable water source and no
electrical power. The lack of sanitation facilities results
in further contamination of the riverine areas as the egesta
mixes with pollution from nearby oil wells. The death rate
from water borne illness is high, he said, with the death
rate for children three times that of adults.

--------------
Tom Polo's Grievances Bona Fide
--------------


8. (C) The well-known militant sobriquets "Jomo Gbomo" and
"Cynthia White" are "stage names," he scoffed. He found it
humorous some people thought it possible a woman could speak
on behalf of thousands of male militants. Both "Jomo Gbomo"
and "Cynthia White" are the mouth pieces of loosely
structured criminal groups. However, he described the "real"
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) as
those militants led by Tom Polo. Ayemi-Botu claimed Tom Polo
was the head of an organization composed of thousands of
armed and fairly disciplined men. MEND's bona fide
grievances include local government's theft of community
monies and the federal government's selfish control of
resources, the Pere said.


9. (C) Pere Charles admitted developing the Niger Delta
would be an arduous and expensive task. When he built his
new palace in 2004, he commissioned a 1,000 foot borehole.
However, this depth was insufficient to reach fresh water and
local construction companies could not dig any deeper. The
Pere said he had to hire Italian oil giant Agip to dig a
borehole over 2,000 feet deep.

--------------
Comment
--------------


10. (C) Ayemi-Botu severely criticized the government's
failure to develop the Niger Delta. Nonetheless, as is the
case with many Niger Delta indegenes, he showed little
insight as to ideas on how to make federal, state and local
governments work more accountably to provide public services
to their people. Exposure to such models could help direct
in a more positive direction the discourse between Niger
Delta inhabitants and the three tiers of Nigerian government.
End Comment.

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BROWNE