[DEBATE] : Nigeria Moves to Halt US Military

[Riaz K. Tayob]

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=89302

This Day Online (Nigeria) September 14, 2007

Nigeria Moves to Halt US Military

By Juliana Taiwo in Abuja

Gulf of Guinea

The Federal Government has begun moves to frustrate the plan by the 
United States to establish a military base in the Gulf of Guinea.

The oil-rich gulf is bordered by Nigeria, Angola, Chad, Equatorial 
Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe

US has been desperately wooing some countries in the West Africa 
sub-region to allow her establish a military base to protect the 
strategic gulf for sometime now.

The move, according to US, is to protect the area from alleged external 
aggressions but with America now looking in the direction of Africa for 
her energy needs given the instability in the Middle-east, many analysts 
say the move is to pr otect her oil interests. .

Defence sources, however, told THISDAY last night in Abuja that the 
Federal Government was already discussing with heads of government of 
the African Union and leaders of the sub-regional body, the Economic 
Community of West African State, on how to block any move by US to 
establish a base in the gulf.

"Nigeria is not taking the issue lightly at all and the government is 
not going to allow the US establish any military base anywhere in the 
ECOWAS region. The interest of the US government in the Gulf of Guinea 
has reinforced the commitment of the government to intensify its efforts 
at providing the needed security in the sub-region," the source said.

It was learnt that the Federal Government was worried by the terror 
alert raised by the US authorities last week and saw it as a ploy to 
label Nigeria and countries in the sub region as unsafe in order to get 
the opportunity to create a military base in the region.

As a first step to checkmate that plan, the FG has vowed to frustrate 
the campaign by the US to establish a base in the gulf.

"The government of this country is not ready for any blackmail. What 
they cannot get through the back doors they want to get through 
blackmail. We are not going to succumb to that game," the source said.

THISDAY also learnt that the Defence Headquarters has concluded plans to 
visit Pentagon, in Washington, to further discuss the issue with the US 
government.

"In a few weeks from now, some top military personnel will be in the US 
to present papers on the plans by the African Union to establish an 
African Command, which will be charged with the responsibility of 
providing the needed security in the continent.

"We really want to let the US and other countries of the world know that 
we are capable of protecting the resources within our continent. Nige 
ria is one country that will continue to move against any plans by the 
US government to establish a military base in our sub- region. We cannot 
afford to allow them do that, otherwise we will be finished as 
military," he said.

Last month, a delegation of the Government of Equatorial Guinea had 
visited Nigeria and signed a memorandum of understanding with the 
Nigerian Navy in the area of security, training and equipment. 
Currently, US has some presence in the Gulf of Guinea and its forces 
have been engaging in frequent patrol of the gulf.

However, US interest in the gulf has been increasing amid rising oil 
exploration in the region.

It was being alleged that West African Navy fleet lacks the capacity to 
protect oil platforms in the gulf.

As far back as June last year, US explained that its presence in the 
Gulf of Guinea was aimed at protecting an area regarded as one of the 
richest sources of hydrocarb ons in the world from international criminals.

"We hear a series of stories for our presence in the Gulf of Guinea, but 
I want to say that we are concerned for Nigeria and we want to help her 
protect the region from the hands of maritime criminals," said the 
Commander of US Naval Forces in Europe and Commander of the Allied Joint 
Force Command in Naples, Italy, Admiral Henry Ulrich.

"In all parts of the world, the US and any good nation want a safe coast 
for those countries who are supplying energy, and that is why we are 
often there. So there is nothing to fear for Nigeria," Ulrich said 
during a Seapower Africa Symposium in Abuja in June last year.

Ulrich had also disclosed that the US planned to increase its naval 
presence in the Gulf of Guinea in order to ensure maritime safety in the 
region.

US Naval official said it was necessary to secure the area from 
international criminals, including terrorists, s ea pirates and smugglers.

The gulf's oil and gas deposit is put in the region of 10 billion 
barrels. Statistics show that as of 2004, Africa as a whole produced 
nearly nine million barrels of oil per day, with approximately 4.7 
million barrels per day coming from West Africa.

Also, African oil production accounted for approximately 11 percent of 
the world's oil supply, while the continent supplied approximately 18 
per cent of the US net oil imports.

Both Nigeria and Angola were among the top 10 suppliers of oil to the US.