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DE RUEHUJA #0707/01 1131712
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O 231712Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5833
INFO RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS PRIORITY 1198
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0219
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 1830
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0779
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RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHINGTON DC
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 02 ABUJA 000707 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, INR/AA 
BAGHDAD FOR DMCCULLOUGH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2024 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KCOR MARR MASS ECOWAS NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR YATES MEETING WITH SGF YAHYALE 
AHMED 
 
REF: A. A. 08 ABUJA 01870 
     ¶B. B. ABUJA 682 
 
Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Robin R. Sanders for Reason 1.4 
 B & D 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  During her April 20-22 visit, Ambassador 
Mary Yates, Africa Command Deputy for Civil and Military 
Activities, had a brief late evening meeting April 21 with 
Nigeria's Secretary to the Government of the Federation 
(SGF), Yahyale Ahmed.  Ambassador Sanders and Colonel Peter 
Teil accompanied her to the meeting.  Yates discussed a range 
of issues on the development of the Command, as well as noted 
highlights from her speech on security sector reform (SSR) 
which she had given before the ECOWAS-ACSS meeting just prior 
to meeting with Ahmed.  For his part Yahyale Ahmed warmly 
welcomed Ambassador Yates' visit and the very positive 
military-to-military cooperation between our two countries. 
He also noted the strong bilateral relationship between the 
United States and Nigeria even though there were differences 
on some issues (a less than subtle reference to Economic and 
Financial Crimes Commission), and restated his interest in 
having meetings in the U.S. that he had mentioned to 
Ambassador Sanders in their last meeting (Ref A).  In 
addition to Ref B, see other septels on Ambassador Yates' 
additional meetings in Abuja. End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) On the evening of April 21, Ambassador Mary Yates, 
visiting Deputy of Africa Command for Civil and Military 
Activities, had a brief meeting with Yahyale Ahmed, Nigeria's 
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).  Yahyale 
Ahmed, who previously served as Nigeria's Defense Minister 
from 2007-November 2008 and currently holds the all powerful 
SGF position which functions in a de facto manner like a 
combination of Presidential Chief of Staff, Vice President, 
Special Advisor to the President, and ministerial 
coordinator, is consider one of President Yar'Adua's closest 
personal friends and confidants.  The two are also former 
university classmates. 
 
¶3. (C) Ambassador Yates began her discussion with Ahmed by 
noting the positive forward movement in building the 
U.S.-Nigerian military-to-military cooperation over the last 
year, which culminated in the March 2009 visit of the African 
Partnership Station (APS) to Lagos.  She described the 
benefits of the APS/USS Nashville platform to regional 
maritime and security training and the importance of this 
type of capacity building for not only the nations of the 
West Africa region, but for the militaries and civilians of 
the many other nations from Europe to Australia who 
participate in APS.  Yates noted that the next round of the 
APS will include a Dutch ship and that the multi-nation 
presence, particularly for Africa, will be equally as 
impressive, stressing that it was important again to have 
Nigeria participate.  Ambassador Sanders noted that while the 
Nashville was in Lagos port, it trained more than 300 
Nigerian civilian and military officers, providing in many 
ways the type of capacity building that President Yar'Adua 
had envisioned for initiatives in the Gulf of Guinea. 
 
¶4. (C) Turning to programmatic developments at the Africa 
Command, Ambassador Yates first reiterated that the Command 
will remain in Stuttgart for the foreseeable future, as has 
been stated by the Secretary of Defense and by AFRICOM 
Commander General Ward.  She emphasized that Africa Command 
was unique in what it brought to the table because of its 
focus on cooperation and coordination among militaries, 
including looking at development programs and projects on 
issues ranging from fisheries to counter narcotics.  She 
highlighted Nigeria's strategic position in the region, 
noting that on the last APS, the Deputy to the Commodore had 
been a Nigerian Navy Commander.  Nigeria's leadership in the 
region and now in ECOWAS, she stressed, was critical to how 
West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea addressed some of the key 
challenges that the Gulf area is facing now, particularly 
regarding maritime security and piracy, as we are all very 
concerned about the latter.  Yahyale Ahmed chimed in to 
 
ABUJA 00000707  002 OF 002 
 
 
mention the worrying signs of more piracy in the Gulf, and 
Nigeria's concerns to avoid the situation in the Gulf seas 
morphing into the kind of piracy that is now seen off the 
coast of Somalia. 
 
¶5. (C) Ambassador Yates agreed and then went on to highlight 
the importance of the ongoing ACSS conference where she had 
just given a presentation on security sector reform (SSR) in 
the region.  She stressed how important SSR was to ensuring 
stability in West Africa overall, mentioning that she would 
be on her way to Guinea-Bissau when she left Nigeria.  Africa 
Command looks forward to being supportive with programs on 
SSR in the region as well, Yates commented, but its role also 
is to listen to what Africans are saying they need to make 
SSR successful. 
 
¶6. (C) The SGF added that he was pleased to hear about this 
positive range of activities on the military side given his 
past position as Minister of Defense, and that it had always 
been clear to him that the U.S. and Nigeria needed each 
other.  In his view, the U.S. and UK were the two most 
important countries for Nigeria.  It was always important for 
them to work together, particularly regarding military 
cooperation, but also to work through differences, he said. 
He emphasized that he was impressed with Ambassador Yates' 
presentation on what Africa Command is doing and trying to do 
in order to be helpful to the countries of the region. 
 
¶7. (C) Yahyale Ahmed informed the two Ambassadors that 
President Yar'Adua had recently formed a commission to review 
Nigeria's foreign relations policies, which is chaired by 
former Commonwealth Secretary General (and former Nigerian 
FonMin) Emeke Anyaoku.  He said that Anyaoku would be 
visiting embassies to discuss their views of bilateral 
relations with Nigeria.  Without being direct, Yahyale Ahmed 
noted that there was "one troublesome issue" in the bilateral 
relationship, but other than that, he believed that the 
relationship was strong and that there was a lot of good 
will.  (Note: The "troublesome issue" to which Yahyale Ahmed 
was referring is the GON's continuing unhappiness with our 
position on not engaging with the leadership of the Economic 
and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC). 
 
¶8. (C) Ambassador Sanders said she had briefed Ambassador 
Yates on our differences on the issue to which he was 
referring, and in changing the subject, asked Ahmed whether 
he still had plans in his new capacity as SGF to travel to 
the U.S. as he had mentioned to her in their last meeting 
(Ref A).  The SGF replied that he had been approached by 
several prominent Nigerians both in and out of government 
about such a possibility.  "I say this humbly," he continued, 
"that a number of people are pushing me in this direction and 
believe that it would be beneficial for me to meet with some 
of the leadership of the new U.S. Administration."  In 
response, Ambassador Sanders offered to help set up meetings 
in Washington if and when the SGF decided to travel. 
 
¶9. (C) Comment:  Given that Yahyale Ahmed is one of the most 
senior people in the recently reshuffled GON cabinet, is 
close to Yar'Adua, and was previous Defense Minister, it 
would be important to have him meet with Department officials 
and others when he travels to Washington.  End Comment. 
 
¶10. (U) Ambassador Yates departed before cable was drafted. 
SANDERS