VZCZCXRO9919
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0446/01 3181202
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131202Z NOV 08
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0288
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 9935
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH AFB UK
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000446 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS 
DOC FOR 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS 
STATE PASS USTR FOR USTR AGAMA 
STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ 
STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART 
STATE PASS TDA FOR LFITT, PMARIN 
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ECON KCOR NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: STATE SECRETARY EXPLAINS RIVERS STATE 
STRATEGY FOR FIGHTING MILITANCY 
 
1.(SBU) Summary: In an October 24 conversation with PolOffs, 
Secretary to the State Government for Rivers State, Magnus 
Abe, said Governor Rotimi Amaechi believes that the lack of 
security in Rivers State is strangling the State's economy. 
In consequence, Amaechi has strengthened security forces and 
refuses to negotiate with "criminals." Amaechi's goal is to 
establish security, enabling the State to start delivering 
services and restore business confidence. Amaechi has 
invested in better equipment for security forces, has made 
education a top priority, has connected rural communities to 
the power generation grid, and has plans to improve health 
care. Despite Amechi's efforts, Rivers State remains 
insecure. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On October 24 Secretary to the State Government for 
Rivers State, Magnus Abe, told PolOffs that Governor Rotimi 
Amaechi believed that the security situation in Rivers State 
at the time he took office more than one year ago was 
strangling the state. According to Abe, so-called "militants" 
controlled large areas of Rivers State and the government 
could not provide either security or basic social services to 
the inhabitants. As a result, no development was taking 
place. Abe argued that militants, regardless of their 
origins, were increasingly economically motivated and 
effectively "exploiting the total incapacity of the security 
forces" to enrich themselves.  Abe pointed out that crime 
drives legitimate business out and produces unemployment and 
poverty which in turn increases crime. In view of this 
situation, Amaechi decided that the vicious cycle had to be 
broken. The policy of negotiating and "settling" with 
militants, according to Abe, simply allows them to retain 
control over large territories from which they launch attacks 
against businesses and persons in areas still under 
government control. While the criminal leaders grow rich, the 
State gets poorer. 
 
Amaechi Invests in Security Equipment 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to Abe, Rivers Governor Amaechi decided 
that instead of paying off the so-called militants he was 
going "to enforce the law." Amaechi has increased the 
capabilities of security forces operating in Rivers State by 
buying armored personnel carriers and modern communications 
equipment as well as investing in unmanned surveillance 
balloons, setting up cameras in public places and 
establishing a control room to deal with reported incidents. 
Asked about amnesty for militants, Abe argued that "a blanket 
amnesty is not fair to the victims." Abe stressed that 
"entire villages have ceased to exist." Thus as a result of 
the activities of the militants, legitimate businesses have 
been driven out of Rivers State, unemployment has become 
widespread, and people have been held hostage, terrorized, 
humiliated and even killed. "There has to be some form of 
accountability," according to Abe. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Abe denied that any of the persons attacked or 
killed by the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in its 
operations against militants are "truly innocent." Abe 
insisted that the JTF only attacks in areas controlled by the 
militants. (Note: PolOffs have heard from other reliable 
sources that the JTF attacks the home villages, often located 
far away from the militant camps, of persons known to 
participate in militant activities. End Note.)  Abe said 
there had been instances where the JTF knew of the location 
of hostages, but refrained from rescue attempts in order to 
ensure that no innocent people were harmed. Abe admitted that 
many militant camps had a "community character," with some 
non-combatants, possibly including women, in them, but he 
insisted that these non-combatants were dealing with 
militants and knew what they were doing and who they were 
dealing with. 
 
Amaechi Addressing Education, Health Care, Electricity 
 
LAGOS 00000446  002 OF 002 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Abe claims that Amaechi recognizes that much of the 
violence in the Niger Delta is an expression of the 
frustration felt by young people with no options. This is why 
Amaechi continues to advocate the payment of 50 per cent of 
oil and gas revenues (derivation) to the oil-producing Niger 
Delta States, rather than the current 13 per cent. On the 
other hand, Abe pointed out, when Amaechi and he were growing 
up in Rivers State, it did not have any oil revenues and 
development was never a matter of "distributing the wealth." 
Abe argued that the State seriously neglected education in 
the past and is working to address the situation. He stressed 
that education is now one of the Amaechi government's top 
priorities and that Rivers State is building 250 primary 
schools. In addition the State has reportedly invested 15 
billion naira (roughly 125 million USD) in the electric power 
system to ensure that all rural communities will be connected 
to the grid by the end of 2009. The State is also building 
150 health centers and trying to recruit medical personnel; 
the emphasis, according to Abe, will be on preventive 
medicine. Asked about potable water, Abe admitted that 
providing potable water to all residents of Rivers State 
would cost USD one billion, which he implied was beyond the 
means of the State government. (Comment: Governance Watch 
reports that the May 2007 to June 2008 revenue allocation to 
Rivers Government amounted to over 234 billion naira (USD 2 
billion). End Comment.) 
 
EFCC Retaliates Against Amaechi 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  In the week prior to his visit to the Consulate, Abe was 
briefly detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes 
Commission (EFCC) along with Amaechi's Chief of Staff, Chief 
Nyesom Wike, for allegedly embezzling five million naira in 
State funds. Abe told us that the charges against Wike are 
completely spurious and nothing more than a means of 
retaliating against Amaechi for claiming that he had been 
offered bribes by the EFCC. (Note: Post has no further 
information to support either the EFCC or Amaechi's claims. 
End Note.) 
 
Amaechi Funds Nonviolence Training 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) According to the National Chairman of the Foundation 
for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN), Allen Onyema, the 
Rivers State government has contracted FEHN to provide 
non-violence training for at least 150 militant youths from 
Rivers State starting in December.  The program would include 
vocational training at State expense as well. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: While Abe's claims of development and 
improved security appear positive on the surface, there are 
continuing reports of insecurity and Post will maintain its 
travel warning for the area. 
 
¶8. (U) This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja. 
 
BLAIR