US embassy cable - 03ABUJA1635

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 001635 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, EPET, PINS, NI 
SUBJECT: OBASANJO VISITS WARRI; HOLDS MEETING WITH WARRING 
ETHNIC GROUPS 
 
 
1. (SBU) According to press reports and Warri contacts, 
President Obasanjo traveled to Warri the morning of September 
19 for an aerial tour of the violence-affected areas in the 
Warri creeks and a meeting with elders and youth leaders of 
the three ethnic groups in the area. 
 
 
2. (SBU) Corporate Responsibility Officer (CRO) spoke by 
telephone with Daniel Reyenieju, President of the Itsekiri 
National Youth Council, who attended the three-hour meeting 
with Obasanjo.  Reyenieju claimed that the President first 
toured the Warri creeks by helicopter after arriving from 
Abuja in the morning.  Shortly after noon, Obasanjo hosted a 
meeting with representatives of the three ethnic groups -- 
Uhrobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri -- at the Petroleum Training 
Institute in Effurun, close to Warri town.  Chief Oyomike 
lead the Itsekiri group of 12, which included Reyenieju and 
one other Itsekiri youth leader.  Chief Mamu stood in for 
Chief E.K. Clark (who is in the U.S.) in leading the Ijaw 
delegation, which included the president of the militant 
group FNDIC, Bello Oboko.  FNDIC Advisor Dan Ekpedibe 
confirmed Oboko's attendance in a separate phone conversation 
with CRO. 
 
 
3. (SBU) According to Reyenieju, each ethnic delegation gave 
a full presentation of its position on the current fighting. 
Obasanjo responded with an appeal that all sides  sustain the 
ongoing ceasefire and have faith in two federal government 
committees working to address Warri's problems -- the Warri 
Conflict Committee chaired by former Defense Minister T.Y. 
Danjuma and the LGA Reform Committee chaired by Liman Ciroma. 
 The President reportedly commented on his overflight of the 
war-torn areas of Warri that morning by saying he was "not 
happy with the extent of damage" he saw among villages and 
oil installations.  Obasanjo highlighted the seriousness of 
the theft of oil or "bunkering" occurring in the Warri area, 
but downplayed the Nigerian military's "Operation Restore 
Hope."  The Itsekiri leader claimed that the President 
eschewed a redefinition of Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 
the Warri region as the solution to the current crisis, which 
was the solution advocated by the Ijaw and Uhrobo 
delegations.  The Itsekiri delegation instead called for the 
Government to enforce existing law in the region. 
 
 
4. (C) Comment:  Press reports that this is only the second 
visit by Obasanjo as President to Warri (the last in 1999 
after a similar but smaller outbreak of fighting) seem 
accurate and underscore its significance.  The surprise visit 
reflects the Presidency's growing concern over lost revenues 
from the six month-old shutdown of production as well as the 
serious loss of life three weeks ago.  The federal government 
continues a two-track approach to the crisis: attempting to 
negotiate a peace through allusions to political reforms in 
the area while hinting at a harsh military crackdown if any 
persist in fighting. 
MEECE