Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ABUJA1465
2008-07-29 17:59:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abuja
Cable title:  

NIGERIA: WAZIRI REQUESTS ASSISTANCE, CHANCE TO

Tags:  PGOV PREL EFIN KCOR NI 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8781
PP RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #1465/01 2111759
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 291759Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3490
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0308
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 9665
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 001465 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA
DOE FOR GEORGE PERSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL EFIN KCOR NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: WAZIRI REQUESTS ASSISTANCE, CHANCE TO
PROVE HERSELF

REF: ABUJA 1331

Classified By: Political Counselor Walter Pflaumer for reasons 1.4. (b
& d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 001465

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA
DOE FOR GEORGE PERSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL EFIN KCOR NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: WAZIRI REQUESTS ASSISTANCE, CHANCE TO
PROVE HERSELF

REF: ABUJA 1331

Classified By: Political Counselor Walter Pflaumer for reasons 1.4. (b
& d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. Ambassador met with EFCC Chairwoman Farida
Waziri on July 21, noting USG concerns about Waziri
personally, her ability to strengthen the EFCC, and recent
personnel redeployments. The Ambassador stressed Waziri's
need to prove her bonafides to the U.S. through concrete
results. Waziri said redeployments of long-time seconded
police (as opposed to permanent EFCC staff) were necessary to
close leaks to the press and to weed out those not loyal to
the EFCC or to her. She confided to the Ambassador that she
was shocked by the poor capacity and lack of seriousness
within the EFCC and the NFIU, despite considerable
international support. Waziri asked for U.S. assistance to
bring a U.S. prosecutor to Nigeria soonest to help build
capacity of EFCC staff, particularly to build case files and
train prosecutors. The Ambassador informed Waziri of
existing plans to bring a U.S. attorney to Nigeria for
capacity building to the ICPC and indicated she would ask to
expedite the timeline for this visit and ask about other
opportunities. Waziri indicated she would like to travel to
the U.S., potentially in October, to demonstrate in person
her commitment to fighting corruption. The Ambassador noted
her disappointment with the EFCC press coverage of her
earlier meeting with Waziri, noting that our bilateral
discussions are meant to be private and not open to the
press. Waziri took note of the Ambassador's request and
voiced her own displeasure with press coverage of the
meetings. The Ambassador has laid down a marker on press
coverate at bilateral meetings, that Waziri needed to prove
herself sooner rather than later, and that we will be
watching what she does closely. Ultimately, the proof will
have to be concrete action -- continued investigations,
arrests and prosecutions. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
Chairwoman Farida Waziri requested a meeting with the
Ambassador and Legatt on July 21 to discuss USG programs in

country and how best she could take advantage of them as an
opportunity to strengthen the EFCC. The Ambassador noted
strong USG concern about Waziri personally, her ability to
strengthen the EFCC, and the numerous recent redeployments
(NOTE: of seconded police and not EFCC permanent staff),
stressing Waziri's need to prove her bonifides. The
Ambassador indicated that ongoing Legatt and INL
capacity-building programs with the EFCC will continue
because we see a strong EFCC as a key element of the fight
against corruption and graft in Nigeria.

WAZIRI'S SURPRISE: DISLOYALTY, LEAKS, WEAK CASES
-------------- ---

3. (C) Waziri explained that the redeployments were meant to
remove those she felt leaked information to the press, were
disloyal to the EFCC as an institution, or were disloyal to
her personally. She added that she arrived at the EFCC
willing to work with those who were there, but had come to
realize that some of them wanted to undermine her -- as well
as the EFCC. As an example, she noted that information was
recently leaked to the press regarding two ex-governors whom
the EFCC was about to arrest, allowing the ex-governors to
escape to London. Waziri admitted that some of the
redeployments included investigators of high profile cases
such as former Delta Governor James Ibori. She confided to
the Ambassador, however, that when she inquired into the
Ibori case, she found the case file weak and that even the
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) did not have
strong documentation on Ibori. The EFCC was trying to
convince the judge in Kaduna to continue to hold Ibori's
diplomatic passport, and had succeeded so far, but the weak
case file made this more difficult. (Note: Press reports
July 29 claimed that a former EFCC employee was arrested at
his Lagos home with EFCC case files and computers. Post is
seeking more information to clarify this report. End Note.)


4. (C) Waziri said she was alarmed to find that the EFCC and
units like the NFIU, in which the U.S. and UK had invested

ABUJA 00001465 002 OF 003


considerable money and training, did not seem to have the
capacity or seriousness to help build strong case files. The
Ambassador noted that a DOJ mentor, scheduled to assist the
NFIU over a 4 month period, left early when he was not given
appropriate access; the mentor had told us that members of
the NFIU were not as serious as they should have been about
moving forward. Despite this disappointment, we had brought
another U.S. Attorney to Abuja for two weeks last Spring, and
the U.S. Mission is already planning for another INL-funded
TDY intermittent legal advisor to come to Abuja who normally
works with the ICPC.

WAZIRI SOUNDS ALARM - REQUESTS USG ASSISTANCE
--------------

5. (C) Waziri said her alarm and resulting concern regarding
the management of other cases prompted her call to the
Ambassador for USG assistance. Waziri asked to get a U.S.
prosecutor to ehlp her staff with their capacity to manage
case files and to provide capacity building for EFCC
prosecutors. (Comment. The timeline for the current
efforts to get a TDY attorney may be longer than what Waziri
needs. After the meeting, the Ambassador and Legatt
discussed the possibility of getting a U.S. Attorney to
respond to this request and have since then provided the
background and request to Washington offices. End Comment.)


6. (C) Waziri told the Ambassador that big cases such as that
against Ibori must be prosecuted. She wants her prosecutors
to be better prepared, particularly because she believes the
information in many of the case files may not be enough to
really bring these "theives" (her words) to justice. Waziri
contended that if the EFCC under her chairmanship could
successfully prosecute high profile cases -- like some of
these ex-governors -- then the international community will
see that she is serious about fighting corruption, and
serious about making the EFCC a strong institution.


7. (C) Waziri told the Ambassador she wants to travel to the
U.S., as she did to the UK, so people can hear directly of
her commitment to the anti-graft war. She asked that the
international community, including the U.S., give her a
chance to do her job and let her prove herself. She noted
that she met with the Metropolitan police and other UK
officials when they came to Abuja and had made the same
points she expressed to the Ambassador. The Ambassador said
we were willing to allow Waziri to prove herself, but noted
that we would be watching to see if her deeds matched her
words. The Ambassador promised to inform the Department of
Waziri's desire to travel to the U.S. to make her points
directly. Waziri said she wanted to travel in October.

NO PRESS IN MISSION/EFCC MEETINGS
--------------

8. (C) The Ambassador expressed her displeasure at EFCC press
coverage of her earlier meeting with Waziri, noting that USG
and Embassy meetings with Waziri and her staff are not a
platform for the press. She told Waziri press coverage
should be limited to programs such as the Legatt and
INL/Treasury-led anti-corruption training programs, which
highlight anti-corruption efforts. The Ambassador mentioned
the visit of U/S Jeffery, reiterating that this would be a
private discussion and not a matter for the press. (NOTE:
The conversation was prior to a decision from U/S Jeffery's
staff that he not see Waziri.) Waziri took note of the
Ambassador's concerns regarding press coverage, indicating
she had been following the recommendations of some of her
staff, but later realized that not everyone was working in
either her or the EFCC's overall best interest. She agreed
to private meetings in the future, and said she was also
dismayed by the press coverage of the earlier meeting. She
added that, given her experiences with the press leading up
to her own confirmation, she was not surprised by the
misrepresentations.

ULTIMATELY, THE PROOF IS IN ARRESTS, PROSECUTIONS
-------------- --------------

9. (C) Comment. The Ambassador laid down a marker that we
expect results. Some of Waziri's comments about the EFCC we
have heard before, such as the institution did leak

ABUJA 00001465 003 OF 003


information, and a lack of capacity has hindered some of its
efforts toward effective prosecution and bringing cases to
court. Nonetheless, we have made clear to Waziri that, while
we are willing to give her the chance to prove herself, we
will be assessing her every move and performance not by
rhetoric or promises, but by results. The next six months
will be critical. Only the continued pursuit of cases,
arrests and prosecutions, can ultimately demonstrate whether
the EFCC under Waziri's leadership (including Waziri
personally) will be committed to fighting corruption.
However, more importantly, we need to determine what tools
the EFCC reallly does have to effectively move forward on
these issues. It is unclear now whether all the assumptions
we made in the past about the internal capacity of the EFCC
are valid. Post recommends we consider having the upcomign
TDY U.S. prosecutor spend some time at EFCC so we can have
better intelligence on the capacity or lack thereof of some
of its senior leadership, prosecutors and directors. End
Comment.
SANDERS