US embassy cable - 02ABUJA407

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000407 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR JFRAZER, JFICKLIN 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W 
 
 
E.O. 12598: 02/06/2012 
TAGS: PREL, OPDC, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: SPECIAL APPEAL TO PRESIDENT BUSH ON THE 
LAGOS MUNITIONS DISASTER 
 
 
REF:  (A) ABUJA 366;  (B) LAGOS 266 AND PREVIOUS 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER.  REASON 1.5. 
 
 
1. (SBU) On 05 February, Embassy received the following 
letter of Special Appeal from President Obasanjo to 
President Bush.  The original letter has been pouched to 
AF/W, and a copy faxed. 
 
 
Begin text: 
 
 
February 4, 2002 
 
 
His Excellency, 
Mr. George Bush 
President of the United States of America, 
White House, 
Washington, DC, 
USA 
 
 
Dear President, 
 
 
 
 
I thank you for your expression of support and sympathy 
after the recent tragic incident in Lagos. 
 
 
After canceling my trip to New York, we have been busy 
sorting out the details of this disaster.  Full disposal of 
unexploded ammunition will turn out to be of immense 
proportion. 
 
 
I can confirm with appreciation that a small group of 
military experts from the United States and Britain with 
their Nigerian counterparts are currently on ground to 
assess the scale of work required. 
 
 
A preliminary report indicates that we will be needing a 
very strong team that will be working in the area for a 
considerable period of time, in months rather than weeks, 
and this is an exercise for which we lack personnel with 
 
 
technical capacity. 
 
 
Mr. President, I wish to make this special appeal to the 
Government of the United States, to kindly consider 
assisting Nigeria in this period of need to provide for us 
the technical assistance for the disposal of the unexploded 
ammunition and explosives. 
 
 
Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my highest 
esteem. 
 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
/sgd/ 
 
 
Olusegun Obasanjo 
End Text: 
 
 
2. (C) Comment: Ref B thoroughly documents the powerful 
expectations of GON officials and ordinary Nigerians that 
the USG (with or without the UK) will response to this 
terrible tragedy.  Minister of State Batagarawa has already 
begun to implement some of the measures the assessment team 
has recommended.  He was critical to the huge success of 
OFR-P3, and we know we can work effectively with him. 
 
 
3. (C) The Obasanjo Administration - and Nigeria's recent 
democracy  re in deep trouble.  If the international 
friends of this country do not mobilize to assist the GON 
at this critical juncture, the increasing instability here 
may worsen and could produce developments inimical to U.S. 
national interests, including the War on Terror in which 
Nigeria has been a staunch and vocal ally. 
 
 
4. (C)  We are convinced that other donors - notably HMG, 
since PM Blair begins an official visit later today - will 
feel compelled to chip in if the USG provides the requisite 
initial critical mass (exact requirements TBD but certainly 
to include robust EOB capability and adequate 
medical/medevac support).  We urge the Department and the 
entire interagency to quickly identify and program adequate 
resources to respond to Obasanjo  special appeal. 
Jeter