NIGERIA: AKWA-IBOM GOV APPLAUDS JTF ACTION IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001099

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W, INR/AA
BAGHDAD FOR DMCCULLOUGH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AKWA-IBOM GOV APPLAUDS JTF ACTION IN
DELTA, DEFENDS DEATH PENALTY FOR KIDNAPPING

Classified By: Political Counselor Walter N.S. Pflaumer for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: During a June 10 courtesy call on the DCM,
Akwa-Ibom Governor Godswill Akpabio expressed his full
support for the offensive of the Joint Task Force (JTF)
against "militants" in the Niger Delta, discussed the
resettlement of persons from the Bakassi Peninsula, his
recent institution of the death penalty for those involved in
kidnapping, and described his efforts to develop his state
through road construction and education projects. We have
not seen evidence that supports the Governor's claims. End
Summary.


2. (C) On Wednesday June 10, Governor Akpabio paid a
courtesy call on the DCM after applying for a visa. The
Governor expressed his full support for JTF's offensive
against the groups in the Niger Delta who call themselves
"militants." "There is not a single militant camp in my
state" he insisted, though he acknowledged that there were
occasional "infiltrations" of militants, which had spurred
him to create what he described as a mini-JTF. He told the
DCM and Poloff that he had met with President Yar'Adua days
before and told him "Don't stop... until you're finished" and
had encouraged him to "wipe out" all the militant camps. In
response to the DCM's stated concern for innocent civilians
caught in the way, Akpabio explained that, in his view, the
people in the Delta saw, or at least should have seen, the
JTF offensive coming, with all the offers for amnesty and
warnings that a military campaign would follow if the amnesty
was not accepted. According to Akpabio, some of the
so-called "innocent" civilians have profited from the
criminal activity, if not actively participated in it. He
further noted that many of the women and children were family
of the militants and perhaps not totally innocent bystanders.
"If we don't make sacrifices, we can't cleanse society" he
averred, and in his estimation, a unique window of
opportunity currently existed to confront and resolve the
Delta situation once and for all.


3. (C) Akpabio stressed the need to develop the Delta and
end what he termed the "economic sabotage". He claimed to
have spent 81 billion naira (approx. $547 million) of federal
funds on road construction, but lamented the fact that
building roads in the region was, in his estimation, ten to
sometimes a hundred times more expensive than building roads
in the north, because of challenges posed by the often swampy
terrain, which necessitated the driving of pilings to support
the roadbed, as well as the additional security costs
associated as a result of the militants. Nevertheless, he
said that crews from the Julius Berger Construction company
were currently working on road projects in the state.
Akpabio also expressed concern about what he termed the
Chinese "incursion" into the oil sector. The Governor further
claimed to have connected over 400 communities in his state
to the national power grid. "I will be judged on what I built
in the state, not how I fought militants" Akpabio offered.


4. (C) The Governor discussed his focus on increasing
educational opportunities as a means of reducing the
attraction to young people to join the militants,
highlighting his elimination of all school fees for primary
through secondary school. Akwa-Ibom now has free, compulsory
education through high school, he noted. He claimed that he
would occasionally get texts from militants who had gotten
his cell number and would reply to them offering to send them
abroad to study if they would lay down their weapons. He
solicited USG assistance in the field of education.


5. (C) Akpabio takes a decidedly hard-line against the
activities of the militants (whom he clearly saw as primarily
criminals) and kidnapping, realizing that both adversely
affect foreign direct investment in, and hence the
development of, his state, though he pointed out that the
recent spate of abductions in Akwa-Ibom had not involved
expatriates but Nigerians. Nevertheless, he insisted that he
takes the matter seriously, as evidenced by his recent

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signing into law of a bill from the State House of Assembly
mandating the death penalty for anyone involved in
kidnapping. He commented "You may not like it, but I won't
have any mercy for those involved in kidnapping."


6. (C) Poloff asked about criticisms of the Nigerian federal
government's support for resettling internally displaced
persons from the Bakassi Peninsula (Note: formally returned
to Cameroon last October. End note),particularly given
published reports that 80% of the Bakassi population who
sought resettlement inside Nigeria were actually indigenes of
Akwa-Ibom and not Cross River State, which got all the
resettlement money. Akpabio responded "That's what you get
when you are closer to the President", an apparent reference
to Cross River Governor Liyel Imoke. Akpabio acknowledged
that a majority of those affected were his kinsmen and
contended that Bakassi had actually been "administered" from
Eket local government authority (LGA) in Akwa-Ibom State "for
a hundred years" prior to Cross River's latter-day
jurisdiction over Bakassi. (Note: Bakassi LGA was created and
attached to Cross River State in 1997, three years after
Cameroon took the sovereignty issue to the International
Court of Justice in The Hague. Akwa-Ibom and Cross River were
the same state until 1987, when Akwa-Ibom was created out of
the old Cross River State. End note.) Akpabio pledged to
assist displaced persons from Bakassi with or without federal
government assistance.


7. (C) COMMENT: Although the Governor's support for the JTF
campaign in the Delta was not surprising, his unrepentant
lack of sympathy for the plight of civilians was striking. In
recent trips to and through Akwa Ibom, we have not seen
evidence of the improvements Akpabio says he has made: roads
there are among the worst we have seen, and while he may have
eliminated school fees, that seems only fair since school
buildings have no roofs, no chairs, no books, and no
teachers. ExxonMobil disputes his statement about there being
no militant camps in Akwa Ibom, and alleges the existence of
some opposite the Bakassi Peninsula. End Comment.


8. (U) This cable was coordinated with Consulate Lagos.
SANDERS