NIGERIA: DELTA AMNESTY OFFICIALS ASK FOR FOREIGN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001407

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: DELTA AMNESTY OFFICIALS ASK FOR FOREIGN
DONOR SUPPORT, AGAIN

REF: 08 ABUJA 1989


1. (U) Summary: On July 21, Mission Nigeria was invited to
an international donor meeting hosted by AIR Vice Marshall
L.O. Ararile, Chief Coordinator of Nigeria's Amnesty Program,
to discuss "areas of possible collaboration" for funding and
implementation. Dr. Ferdinand Ikwang, consultant for the
Presidential Amnesty Implementation Committee and Nigerian
Air FORCE Commodore Faluyi hosted a follow up donor meeting
on July 24 on the same themes, but with more specific
proposals for social and economic development projects. The
meetings follow previous discussions on Niger Delta
assistance, dating back to October 2008, in which the GON
requests unconditional donor funding to address the region's
social and economic problems. End Summary.


2. (U) On July 21 AIR Vice Marshall L.O. Ararile, Chief
Coordinator of Nigeria's Amnesty Program, invited
international donors to seek collaboration on funding and
implementation of the GON Amnesty program. USAID, the
British High Commission, and UNDP were the only donors to
attend the meeting. Ararile reported that the military plans
to leave areas it occupies in the Niger Delta three weeks
after the Amnesty process ends. Ararile added that his plan
is to "ensure that the Ministry of Niger Delta takes charge
of the implementation of the amnesty process." At that time,
he claimed, "civilians will take full charge of the process,"
(via the Ministry of the Niger Delta),which he estimates
will draw 10,000 amnesty participants to the program.


3. (U) Ararile informed donors that the current
rehabilitation centers have limited space. He specifically
noted that Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta states will have two
rehabilitation centers each because of the high numbers of
militants that are expected to disarm in those areas.
According to Ararile, the budget for the rehabilitation
centers has been tripled to ensure that the goal of the
Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program
is fully achieved, but no actual figures or other details on
the financial arrangements were provided. He also informed
donors that he will request that the Center for Development
and Population Activities (CEDPA) and the Global Health
Initiative on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (GHAIN),(both of which
currently receive USAID funding for other projects),will be
asked "to implement project activities focusing on HIV/AIDS
issues and women's empowerment, specifically as it relates to
the militants."


4. (U) Nigerian AIR FORCE Commodore Faluyi and Presidential
Amnesty Implementation Committee consultant Dr. Ferdinand
Ikwang hosted a follow-up donors meeting on July 24 at the
Ministry of Defense. Faluyi began briefing donors from
USAID, British High Commission, and UNDP, stating that he is
in charge of "collecting and destroying 'militants' weapons."
He informed donors that the military needs assistance in
designing a data collection program to identify and track
disarmed militants. When asked if the GON had considered
using an independent institution to implement its Amnesty
projects due to distrust within the Niger Delta communities,
Faluyi responded that "the only state that might consider
doing so is Rivers state, where some 'militants' are afraid
that the government has poisoned the food and medicine."
Faluyi also explained that "Rivers state is a different
dilemma because the violence there is more political than
resource driven." Faluyi then informed donors of his plan to
establish a large disarmament site in Enugu state (Faluyi's
home state),where "militants will have nothing to fear
because President Yar'Adua is behind the Amnesty process."


5. (U) Ikwang told donors that the military has a
comprehensive disarmament and demobilization plan, which
considers reintegration and resettlement as "crucial
components." Ikwang told donors that he is considering
setting up a "Truth and Reconciliation Center, similar to the
one used in Rwanda." Ikwang also reiterated Ararile's
request for CEDPA and GHAIN assistance, specifically
"utilizing its mobile test kits to screen ex-militants who
are willing to be tested." When pressed to explain details
of the these plans, Ikwang said that the Ministry of the

ABUJA 00001407 002 OF 002


Niger Delta would brief donors in the future.

6. (SBU) Comment: We doubt that any of these proposed
programs will be successfully implemented any time soon,
especially since the governors of the states of Delta, Cross
River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo and Akwa Ibom are all threatening
to abandon Yar'Adua's amnesty program, due to grievances with
the proposed petroleum reform bill. In addition, many
international donors agreed after previous meetings on the
Niger Delta (reftel) that it is not feasible to offer
large-scale assistance without a Delta-wide political
settlement and the better use of state government funds on a
regular basis for basic services and development. End
Comment.
SANDERS