PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

The Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) could play an expanded role beyond the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and even beyond the subregion, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said at a Headquarters’ press conference this morning. However, certain adjustments would have to be made.

Responding to a correspondent’s question, the President said that the prevailing impression even within the West African subregion was that ECOWAS was Nigerian business or at best the business of Nigeria and Ghana. That was not the right approach and definitely not the right attitude. The ECOMOG must truly reflect the entire ECOWAS membership.

Once that was achieved, he said, each country should earmark, train, equip and put on alert forces that could be used within the ECOWAS subregion, in Africa beyond that, and even outside the continent, for peacekeeping and peacemaking by the international community. That would involve joint training, compatible communications and standardized equipment so that different forces could work together.

Asked whether his country would renew its campaign for a permanent Security Council seat under his tenure, President Obasanjo said Nigeria would legitimately compete for whatever was in its best interests.

He told the same correspondent that the purpose of his visit to the United Nations was to increase international goodwill towards Nigeria, which had responsibilities beyond its borders, within the region and among the community nations.

Could the President estimate how much money had been misappropriated and sent out of Nigeria? another correspondent asked, referring to his call in the General Assembly for a joint effort to recover those funds.

The President said the figure was definitely in the billions of dollars. The response of those who had been asked to help recover the money, particularly governments, had been very encouraging.

Asked whether people implicated in human rights violations under previous governments would be prosecuted, President Obasanjo said he could not predetermine the outcome of investigations. The investigating panel had received about 8,000 petitions from Ogoniland alone. It would examine them and make recommendations. The Government would then study the recommendations and act as it deemed appropriate.

Nigeria Press Conference - 2 - 24 September 1999

Another correspondent asked how well the new Government was working now that Nigeria had ended the winner-take-all electoral system and included members of other political parties in his administration.

Noting that there was no ideological difference between the parties, President Obasanjo said none of them felt alienated, yet all retained their separate identities. There was no reason to exclude anybody unless one had an ulterior motive. Nigeria had been through a civil war -- one too many -- and only stupid leaders would allow a second one. Accommodation and inclusiveness were necessary in order to avoid that outcome.

Another journalist asked how Nigeria’s plans to boost liquefied natural gas as a second major revenue source would be affected by recent inter-ethnic strife which had resulted in a production shut-down earlier this week.

President Obasanjo replied that the problem lay in the lack of long-term planning. The liquefied natural gas had originally been produced on the island of Bonny by a local labour force made up largely of school drop-outs. The Government’s construction of a gas plant to boost production had left them without income. With proper planning, the labour force would have been retrained or taken to work elsewhere.

Asked whether the unrest was due to unemployment, the President replied that the gas workers would naturally feel frustrated when their source of income was taken away. They had been earning up to five or six times the minimum wage.

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