VZCZCXRO0723
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0109/01 0641344
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051344Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0572
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0190
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
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000109 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W, AF/EX AND INR/AA 
STATE PASS TO USTR-AGAMA 
BAGHDAD FOR MCCULLOUGH 
BOTSWANA FOR DROUIN 
TREASURY FOR PETERS AND HALL 
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS AND 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS 
USAID/AFR/WA FOR TWAY, USAID/AFR/SD JHILL, AND UNSAID/EGAT 
MOTT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SENV ECON EPET NI
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL NGOS SEEKS WAYS TO INCREASE NIGERIAN 
RESPONSE CAPABILITY TO OIL SPILLS 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: At a round table discussion in Lagos on 
February 18, Nigerian Environmental NGOs and visiting Science 
Fellow and Environmental Protection Agency Federal On-Scene 
Coordinator, Michael Solecki, identified weaknesses in the 
Nigerian oil spill response mechanisms and discussed ways 
NGOs could improve Nigerian spill clean-up capability. It was 
agreed that the response procedures practiced in the United 
States are not immediately applicable in the Nigerian 
environment but that NGOs can play a role in increasing the 
overall efficacy of oil-spill response. The NGOs also agreed 
that they could do more to raise public awareness of the 
health consequences of oil spills and the negative impact on 
the economy of environmental degradation. The NGOS expressed 
interest in meeting again to explore the possibility of joint 
initiatives. End Summary. 
 
Integrated Responses to Spills Essential 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Michael Solecki, Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and visiting Science 
Fellow, spoke in Lagos on February 18 to representatives from 
five Nigerian environmental NGOs about U.S. oil-spill 
response techniques. Solecki outlined US procedures, 
stressing the centralized information system and integrated 
approach used in the United States for responding to all 
kinds of incidents from terrorist attacks to hurricanes. 
Solecki noted that in the United States there is a single 
telephone number to which environmental incidents are 
reported and that all information regarding an incident is 
collected at a central point to which all involved have 
access to the latest information on an equal basis. Solecki 
stressed that everyone from environmental groups to 
international oil companies, from wildlife protection 
societies to government agencies and local political 
officials are integrated into the U.S. response procedures. 
For emergency response purposes the United States is divided 
into ten regions and the regions help each other when 
confronted with problems beyond their capacity. 
 
Obstacles to Integrated Response 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The assembled environmental activists agreed that a 
number of obstacles stood in the way of Nigeria developing 
similar response procedures for environmental incidents. 
Communities, particularly those in the Niger Delta that are 
the principal victims of repeated oil spills have, they said, 
a very deep-seated mistrust of both the Nigerian government 
and the international oil companies (IOCs). This is 
manifested in a reluctance to work with government agencies 
and in hostility toward the IOCs, often including violence or 
mass protests. According to Olawale Akinwumi of the NGO The 
Environment there is a widespread perception that the 
Nigerian Federal Government is in collusion with the IOCs. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Professor Emmanuel Obot of the Nigerian Conservation 
Foundation pointed out that at the Local Government Area 
level there is no representative of the Ministry of the 
Environment present. When spills occur, he said, communities 
turn immediately to whichever IOC they hold responsible. The 
response of the IOCs, he continued, often leaves a great deal 
to be desired. He sited an incident in his home community of 
Eket where ExxonMobil took no action for over two days 
despite his repeated requests to responsible officials of the 
IOC. He resorted to calling the then governor of Cross River 
State, Donald Duke, to report that the spill had occurred 
and, if unchecked, would soon reach Cross River State; after 
this call it took only hours for ExxonMobil to respond with 
clean-up crews. (Note: Eket is located in Akwa Ibom State, 
not Cross River; when asked why he did not contact his own 
governor, Professor Obot replied: "I don't waste my time." 
 
LAGOS 00000109  002 OF 002 
 
 
End Note.) Ifaedi Chifrem of the NGO The Green Group showed 
pictures of an oil spill clean-up in which the locally hired 
workers had no protective clothing; raising the question 
whether the IOC had failed to provide the protective clothing 
or the LGA had pocketed the money provided by the IOC for 
such clothing. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Joel Bisina of the NGO Niger Delta Professionals for 
Development described the current situation as one in which 
the Federal Government fails to enforce environmental 
regulations, the IOCs blame spills on sabotage, and the 
youths of affected communities use every spill "as an 
opportunity to make money" and to do so prevent both the 
government and IOC clean-up crews from coming in until they 
pay. Until people have faith in the sincerity of the Nigerian 
government to protect their interests, Bisina said, people 
will continue to try to deal directly with the IOCs and make 
as much money as they can out of the situation. He added that 
the Nigerian government is good at creating agencies but poor 
at giving them competence and funding. 
 
Lobbying, Training and Awareness Campaigns 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Solecki outlined the recommendations he plans to 
make to the Nigerian National Oil Spill Detection and 
Response Agency (NOSDRA) to improve its response capability, 
but the NGO representatives determined that they could not 
wait for NOSDRA to re-organize or the Ministry of the 
Environment to provide funding. Together, the NGOs identified 
seven actions which NGOs could take to help address the 
situation, including: 1) lobby for public access to draft 
environmental legislation and greater transparency of current 
regulations; 2) lobby for standardized valuations for 
environmental damage; 3) create local watch groups to report 
spills; 4) educate youth groups, possibly using existing 
youth organizations such as the Youth Corps or the Red Cross, 
about the severe health hazards and impact of oil spills; 5) 
train and mobilize youths in simple, cheap techniques for 
cleaning up old spills; 6) train youths as "first responders" 
for environmental incidents; and 7) launch a media campaign 
to education the public about the negative impact on health 
and the economy of environmental degradation caused by oil 
spills, gas flaring and climate change. 
 
¶7. (U) Solecki suggested that Nigerians needed to take more 
personal responsibility for their environment, starting with 
picking up and sorting their own waste. The activists agreed. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: The environmentalists present at the 
meeting shared a broad consensus on both the problems and the 
solutions to the current situation with respect to incident 
response. There was widespread skepticism about the ability 
of the Ministry of the Environment to take the necessary 
corrective actions as outlined by Solecki, particularly in 
light of the tiny budget allocated to the Ministry of the 
Environment which, according to Professor Obot, is less than 
half of one per cent of the total budget. The 
environmentalists present agreed that the meeting had been 
productive and that it would be beneficial to meet again to 
explore ways of concrete cooperation with respect to the 
seven actions listed above. End Comment. 
 
¶9. (U) This cable was cleared by Embassy Abuja. 
BLAIR