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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