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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000071 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PM EPET ECON KDEM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: CANADIAN TO HELP IGALI FOUNDATION OPEN 
BAYELSA SCHOOL 
 
Classified By: Consul General Donna M. Blair for Reasons 1.4 (B,D) 
 
¶1. (C) Canadian expatriate Mary Ellen Havlik (protect 
throughout), former Security officer for the Canadian Embassy 
in Nigeria on leave from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 
and currently Executive Director of the Daniel Igali 
Foundation,) told Pol-Econ Chief on January 31 that her 
principal task will be to turn the Igali Foundation-funded 
school near Oporoma in Bayelsa State into a model for 
education in the riverine communities.  Havlik is lobbying 
Bayelsa Governor Silva and Education Commissioner Josephine 
Ezonbodur to assign teachers to the school, and is using 
grants, such as one for the purchase of books for the library 
received from the Ambassador's Special Self-Help Fund, to 
make the school functional. Havlik, who will live in Yenagoa 
and make frequent trips to the school, counts on a network of 
contacts ranging from government officials, to Joint Task 
Force (JTF) Commanders and the relatives of well-known 
militants, to assure her safety.  Post recounts the 
conversation for what it is worth, without any attempt to 
glamorize Havlik or to minimize the risks she is taking. 
Whether she will be able to carry out her mission safely 
remains to be seen.  End Comment. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Pol-Econ Chief met January 31 with Mary Ellen 
Havlik, formerly Security Officer for the Canadian Embassy in 
Nigeria and currently Executive Director of the Daniel Igali 
Foundation. (Note: Daniel Igali sought refugee status in 
Canada in 1994 when he traveled with the Nigerian Wrestling 
Team to compete in the 1994 Commonwealth Games.  According to 
Wikipedia, Igali was the 1999 World Freestyle Wrestling 
Champion and a 2000 Olympic Champion in wrestling.  Daniel 
Igali is a cousin of Nigeria's Ambassador to Sweden Dr. 
Boladei Godknows Igali, a former Secretary to State 
Government of Bayelsa State. End Note)  In her role as 
Executive Director of the Foundation, Havlik's principal task 
will be to get a school constructed by the foundation in 
Eniwarri (phonetic), a riverine community near Oporoma two 
hours south of the Bayelsa State capital of Yenagoa, up and 
running.  The Igali Foundation wants the school to become a 
model for education in the riverine communities.  The 
physical plant is well constructed, Havlik said, and the 
multi-hectare complex includes a classroom building, a 
library with over 80 study carrels, a gymnasium and other 
facilities.  Although the school was constructed more than 
two years ago, the State has not yet assigned teachers to the 
facility.  Despite the fact that it has not been used, the 
community is proud of the facility and has been successful in 
protecting it from vandalism, Havlik said.  Oporoma is a 
restive community, she said, but when a militant leader tried 
to locate near Eniwarri, the community was successful in 
chasing him away. 
 
SSH Grant to Stock School's Library 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) Havlik said she is grateful for the receipt of an 
Ambassador's Special Self-Help Grant which will allow her to 
equip the school's library with a stock of basic books.  She 
is currently seeking funding from other sources with which to 
build on the basic collection.  Havlik is lobbying Bayelsa's 
Governor Timipre Silva and Education Commissioner Josephine 
Ezonbodor to assure that teachers are aassigned to the 
school.  Because Commissioner Ezonbodor is interested in 
revamping the state curriculum, Havlik has helped her get in 
touch with Nigerians in Canada who have expertise in 
curriculum development. 
 
¶4.  (C) Havlik will be based in Yenagoa, but will make 
frequent trips to the school.  Asked how she plans to assure 
her safety and security while working in the state, Havlik 
noted that her prior posting as the Canadian Embassy's 
Security officer provided her with numerous contacts 
throughout the region. (Note:  While posted to the Canadian 
Embassy, Havlik, who is not a career diplomat, was on leave 
from her position with the Canadian Mounted Police.  End 
Note) Among her contacts are JTF Commander Brigadier-General 
Navren Rimtip and Spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa, 
as well as a host of lesser officers.  In addition, her 
personal friends include Kingsley Kuku, Director of the Peace 
 
LAGOS 00000071  002 OF 002 
 
 
and Conflict Management Unit of the Niger Delta Development 
Commission, who Havlik claims may be Jomo Gbomo, an offtime 
spokesperson for the Movement for the Emancipation of the 
Niger Delta (MEND); Ann-Kio Briggs, now living in Lagos, 
formerly spokesperson for the Niger Delta People's Volunteer 
Force (NDPVF), who Havlik says may be Cynthia White, sometime 
spokesperson for MEND; the Port Harcourt-based Honorary 
Canadian Consul Harcourt Aduke, and relatives of several 
well-known militant leaders.  As a courtesy, she plans to 
notify the JTF and others when she travels, Havlik said. 
Friends keep her posted about the current security situation; 
they call to say things like "This is not a good week to be 
on the Nun River," Havlik said, naming a Bayelsa river that 
runs near Oporoma and empties into the Gulf of Guinea west of 
Brass. 
 
¶5.  (C) Comment: Post recounts this conversation with Havlik 
for what it is worth, and with no intent to glamorize Havlik 
or the risks she is taking; neither do we have any way to 
confirm her comments on the individuals she claims to be 
spokespersons for various groups.  Although well-known to the 
Regional Security Officer and others in the Consulate 
community, this is only the second time Pol-Econ Chief has 
spoken with Havlik; the first time was at the ceremony 
awarding the Ambassador's Special Self-Help grants.  Havlik 
sees her situation as different from that of other 
expatriates in the area, but whether she will be able to 
carry out her mission safely remains to be seen. 
 
BLAIR