US embassy cable - 02ABUJA3378

UNCLAS ABUJA 003378 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR AF/PD 
LAGOS FOR PAS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, PBTS, PGOV, NI 
SUBJECT: "TWO TERMS THREATENS DEMOCRACY AND 
PEACE" SAYS NIGERIA'S AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. 
 
 
1.  Summary:  On November 16, Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S., 
Professor Jibril Aminu, said in a press interview that the idea 
of two terms for elected officials is a threat to Nigeria's 
democracy and peace in the country.  Ambassador Aminu, who spoke 
on a wide range of issues, reiterated that the North had a pact 
with all Presidential candidates before the 1999 elections to 
protect the North's interests.  Aminu was optimistic that the 
Bakassi issue would be settled amicably with Cameroon.  He spoke 
positively about U.S.-Nigerian relations, and acknowledged that 
improved government management could strengthen Nigeria's image. 
End Summary. 
 
 
Nigeria's Ambassador to the U.S. Speaks to the Press 
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2.  On November 16, Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S., Professor 
Jibril Aminu, gave a three-page interview to the New Nigerian 
Weekly, a Kaduna-based, government-owned newspaper.  Aminu 
confirmed that all the Presidential candidates in 1999 signed an 
agreement to support the North's interests, but denied that 
President Obasanjo had agreed to a single term in the context of 
the discussion.  He warned that the two-term issue is a threat to 
democracy and peace in Nigeria, and advocated a single five-year 
term for the President, State governors, and Chairmen of the 
Local Government Councils. 
 
 
3.  Ambassador Aminu said that Nigerian politicians are 
dishonestly using ethnicity because "they are not doing anything 
for their people."  He made generous references to the United 
States political system saying: "In the United States you hardly 
catch a Congressman on Friday in the evening for any function. 
They have gone home.  They spend Saturday and a large part of 
Sunday working with their own people, visiting, and answering 
questions, answering letters and phone calls and e-mails, and 
then they come back to Washington.  Our people don't do that." 
 
 
4.  Answering a question on how people outside Nigeria, 
especially the United Sates, view Nigeria, Ambassador Aminu said, 
" You may not believe it but Nigeria is held in a very high 
esteem, particularly in the United States."  He said there were 
problems with the military governments before General Abdulsalami 
Abubakar restored the country to democracy.  He said the people 
of Nigeria have always been recognized and applauded for their 
skills adding, "Tens of thousands of Nigerians are living and 
working in the United States at the highest level, contributing a 
lot to that society." 
 
 
5. Commenting on the International Court of Justice verdict on 
the Bakassi dispute between Nigeria and the Cameroon, Ambassador 
Aminu said, "I do not want us to just reject and sit down.  I do 
not want us to reject, and maybe enter into conflict with 
Cameroon, an African state, our sister African state, our 
neighbor with whom we shared so many useful experiences in the 
past including. much of it being part of Nigeria before.  But, I 
don't think we should fight them." 
 
 
6. Asked about the possibility of violence in the 2003 elections, 
Ambassador Aminu said, "This is something entirely in our hands. 
And I believe, if we all decide to behave ourselves, to reflect 
on the dangers, and to reflect on the promises, the opportunities 
that lie ahead of this country in a successful election, I think 
we can still do it.  Professor Aminu, however, expressed 
disappointment with the political fighting in the country 
remarking, "You know, there is an impression that we lack some 
seriousness."  He added that outsiders have the impression that 
Nigeria's political elites and intelligentsia are not leading and 
mismanagement remains an issue for Nigerians to overcome.  He 
stressed that Nigeria could do well with "the right people in the 
right places." 
 
 
7.  Footnote:  According to press reports, Aminu has 
announced plans to seek a Senate seat in Adamawa in the 2003 
elections. 
 
 
ANDREWS