TOM POLO SUPPORTS NONVIOLENCE YOUTH TRAINING IN

UNCLAS LAGOS 000632 SIPDIS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC OSLO FOR HELENA SCHRADER DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR FLISER STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC NI SUBJECT: TOM POLO SUPPORTS NONVIOLENCE YOUTH TRAINING IN DELTA STATE REF: A. LAGOS 502 ¶B. LAGOS 594 ¶1. (SBU) Sheriff Mulade, President of the Gbaramatu Youth Council (GYC),told Poloff approximately 200 youths from Gbaramatu and Ijaw Kingdoms in Delta state attended a non-violence sensitization program September 10-14. Presenters at the Riverine Host Community Youth Orientation Program were largely from the Ijaw tribe, but also included Deborah Etteh, an Itsekiri leader in the Coastal Women Forum and other riverine minority members. Mulade said many of the participating youths either attended the University of Delta State or the University of Owerri. Additionally, Delta State-based militant leader Tom Polo sent "some of his boys" as delegates to attend the program and was so supportive of the event that he provided it 11 security guards. ¶2. (SBU) Mulade reasoned it was important to reduce youth restiveness in the Niger Delta in order to attract employment opportunities to the state. This type of nonviolence training would pave the way for anticipated Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) (Ref A) projects. By early September DESOPADEC was "making administrative arrangements" and Mulade thought it would be fully operational by March 2008. Mulade posited the Commission would need a well-defined strategy to operate fully. While DESOPADEC has not yet funded a development project, Mulade was hopeful it would meet immediate needs such as providing scholarships and education, and seek to improve youths' confidence in government so that the region could attract employment opportunities. Mulade named infrastructure, road construction, and building developments to be long-term needs. ¶3. (SBU) Mulade is a founding member of the Niger Delta Orientation Project (NDOP),which organized the nonviolence training program in conjunction with U.K.-based Processing Consultant Group (PCG). The program borrowed heavily from the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria's (FEHN) use of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s nonviolence philosophy. (Note: Mulade attended and served as a trainer for FEHN (Ref B), which teaches youths the principles of nonviolence and to respect human life. End Note.) MCCONNELL