NIGERIA: PROFESSOR ASKS USG SUPPORT ON AMNESTY,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000084

SIPDIS

STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PM EPET ECON KDEM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: PROFESSOR ASKS USG SUPPORT ON AMNESTY,
DEVELOPMENT FOR NIGER DELTA

REF: A. SEPTEL

B. LAGOS 66

C. LAGOS 60

D. 08 LAGOS 509

E. 08 LAGOS 464

Classified By: Consul General Donna M. Blair for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) Summary: Pol-Econ Chief met with President of the
Lagos Business School and 2007 Presidential candidate Patrick
Utomi at his request on February 6. The militant "boys in
the creeks" want to come in, Utomi said, and but do not trust
the politicians who they believe will profit from any plan
put together ostensibly to help the militants. They trust
Utomi, to whom they have turned, because they know that
nothing he does will be for his own personal gain, Utomi
said. Utomi plans to lobby the Federal Government to put in
place a comprehensive amnesty plan, and to begin to develop
the Niger Delta; Utomi asked that the U.S. Government lend
its voice in support. On behalf of the Niger Delta
Governors' integrated economic development initiative, Utomi
plans an April conference at which the Governors, Federal
officials, and the private sector will work with outside
experts to plan improvements to the Niger Delta states'
agriculture infrastructure; Utomi will invite Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsak to speak and asked that Embassy
transmit the letter, when written. Neither the Governors nor
the "boys in the creeks" trust the Niger Delta Minister.
Utomi spoke at February 5 Yenagoa rally sponsored by the Ijaw
Youth Council, whose President, Chris Ekiyor, is "very
smart", Utomi enthused. Patrick Utomi's reputation for
integrity and public service is unparalleled among Nigerians,
towering even over his stature as President of the top flight
Lagos Business School, and as a former high-ranking
Volkswagen Nigeria executive. That both Niger Delta
Governors and militant youths alike have turned for help to a
leader with a reputation for incorruptibility speaks volumes
about the nature of the barrier to peace in the Niger Delta:
powerful interests, civilian and military, derive enormous
amounts of money illegally as a result of the continuing
crisis. End Summary.

Utomi Asks USG Support for Amnesty, Development
-------------- --


2. (C) Pol-Econ Chief met with Patrick Utomi, Dean of the
Lagos Business School and 2007 candidate for President for
the African Democratic Congress (ADC) party, at his request,
on February 6. Referring to the ongoing crisis in the Niger
Delta, Utomi said "The boys in the creeks want to stop", but
they need help to work out the way forward. The youths have
asked Utomi to help in creating a comprehensive amnesty plan,
and Utomi plans to press the Federal Government on this
issue. He will take his proposal to M.D. Yusuf, he said.
(Note: Yusuf is a former Inspector General of Police, who is
believed to be close to President Yar'Adua. End Note)
Amnesty should be granted to all youths who turn in their
guns, he said, and withheld from those who refuse to do so.
At a recent meeting with militants, Utomi said, they told him
that they do not trust the politicians because they know the
politicians will find ways to profit from any program set up
ostensibly to help the militants. The militants told Utomi
they trust him because they know that nothing he does will be
for his own personal gain. Utomi is convinced that "this is
the year to move on the Niger Delta," because the closer
Nigeria draws to 2011, the more desperate the politicians
will be to get their hands on militants as a way to
manipulate the election. Utomi said he is seeking U.S.
Government support in asking the Federal Government to grant
amnesty to the militants, develop the Niger Delta and to
begin immediately to resolve the Niger Delta crisis.
International support and pressure is crucial, he said.
Pol-Econ Chief told Utomi that the U.S. Government supports
immediate resolution of the Niger Delta crisis, and would
take his specific requests in that regard back to the
Mission.


3. (C) In addition, Utomi will lobby the Federal Government
for development in the Niger Delta. Utomi believes that a
training program to ready militants to take up jobs as police

LAGOS 00000084 002 OF 002


officers in the Nigerian Police Force is a way to both create
jobs for Niger Delta youth, and to protect people and public
works in the Niger Delta. Completing the East-West Highway
is an essential step toward development, he said. The
international oil companies once offered to build the
East-West road for the Federal Government, he claimed; as a
result, he believes private interests could be interested in
completing the project now on a build-operate-transfer (BOT)
basis.

Utomi Asks Embassy to Transmit Invitation
--------------


4. (C) In his role as Chair of the Niger Delta Governors'
coordinated effort for integrated development (Ref D),Utomi
has organized a meeting, to be held April 22-24 at Tinapa,
between the Governors and representatives not only of the new
Niger Delta Ministry but of other Federal Government
ministries whose work bears on development of the area. They
will hear presentations on, among other things, how to revive
agriculture within their states. Although Utomi sees that
the "quick start" projects that the Delta State Oil Producing
Areas Commission (DESOPADEC) has put in place (Ref B) are
important because they are close to the people, he believes
coordination between the states, especially on
infrastructure, will maximize benefits, he said. Utomi plans
to invite U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsak, who Utomi
heard speak while he was Governor of Iowa, and asked if the
Embassy could transmit the letter of invitation. Pol-Econ
Chief said the Embassy would be happy to transmit the letter,
(Note: Mission has not yet been given a copy of the letter.
End Note) but that the short notice, and the fact that the
Secretary is newly in office, might make a positive response
difficult. Utomi said he would pay a courtesy call on the
Ambassador to extend to her a personal invitation to attend
the meeting, and to interest U.S. companies in participating;
he will arrange an appointment as soon as he returns from a
trip abroad to take an in depth look at how private capital
has been harnessed to develop agriculture infrastructure.


5. (C) Asked his views on how he anticipates the Niger Delta
Ministry will function, Utomi said there is little likelihood
that it will operate like the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT),which oversees development of Nigeria's capital,
Abuja. The Niger Delta Governors do not trust the Minister,
and the boys in the creeks see him as an agent of the very
people who have failed them so many times before. Neither,
Utomi added, do the boys trust Chief E.K. Clark (Note: Chief
Clark is an Ijaw leader and former Minister of Information.
End Note.)

Utomi: IYC President "Very Smart"
--------------


6. (C) The previous day, Utomi had attended the meeting in
Yenagoa of Ijaw youths sponsored by the Ijaw Youth Council
(IYC) (Septel). Chris Ekiyor, the President of the IYC (Refs
C, E) is "very smart", Utomi enthused. Utomi had been asked
to give a speech, which he delivered to the youths. Also in
attendance was former Governor Depriye S. Alamaseigha, who
remains very popular, Utomi said.


7. (C) Comment: Patrick Utomi's reputation for integrity
and public service is unparalleled among Nigerians, towering
even over his stature as President of the top flight Lagos
Business School, and as a former top Volkswagen Nigeria
executive. That both Niger Delta Governors and militant
youths alike have turned for help to a leader with a
reputation for incorruptibility speaks volumes about the
nature of the barrier to peace in the Niger Delta: powerful
interests, civilian and military, derive enormous amounts of
money illegally as a result of the continuing crisis.


8. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja.
BLAIR