The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) - Politics - Nairaland
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The Mysterious Hand That Helps Obasanjo Through Coups Or Cardiac Arrests / The Truth Abt Aguiyi Ironsi Death, Nigerian Coups,and Igbos Ambitions / Coups In Nigeria •ibb’s Adc, Uk Bello, Pretended To Be With Us And Was Killed (2) (3) (4)
| The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 10:50pm On Jul 06, 2009 |
THE U.S. CONGRESS INVESTIGATES THE MURDER OF FOREIGN LEADERS BY THE C.I.A. AND CALLS FOR A PRESIDENTIAL DECREE TO END THE PRACTICE. MEANWHILE, THE ECONOMY GOES INTO A TAILSPIN BECAUSE OF RISING OIL PRICES AND A NEAR-COMPLETE OIL EMBARGO AGAINST THE WEST. JUST WHEN PUBLIC PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR A REFORM OF THE GOVERNMENT'S SECRET OPERATIONS OVERSEAS, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SINGLE-MOST IMPORTANT OIL SUPPLYING NATION FALLS INTO NATIONALIST HANDS. THE PRESIDENTIAL ORDER IS PREPARED AND SIGNED -- BUT NOT UNTIL FIVE DAYS AFTER A COUP PUTS NIGERIA FIRMLY UNDER 'FRIENDLY' RULE. WAS IT COINCIDENCE OR CONSPIRACY? SUSPICIONS STILL LINGER, At the time of the infamous 1976 coup that put Olusegun Obasanjo in power, there was little in the way of concrete evidence linking him to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. But over the years that followed, Obasanjo became a highly visible part of a complex network developed by the United States government to wage political and economic warfare against Nigeria. A series of formerly-secret cables between Lagos and Washington, along with other documents from government and private sources, reveal ties between Obasanjo and at least two groups working closely with the CIA -- and also make it appear likely that the recent plot to overthrow the Nigerian military government originated in Washington. This report is the work of the staff of the Baobab Press, a Washington-based consortium of professional journalists involved in investigative reporting about issues of concern to the developing world. For further information, please contact: Baobab Press, Post Office Box 43345, Washington, DC 20010, U.S.A. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by NegroNtns(m): 11:40pm On Jul 06, 2009 |
You are correct. That decree to end sponsorship of assassinations had been a "work-in-progress" for some time but the coup was not coincidental. . . it was executed to provide a safety net in the interests of Apartheid South Africa. Apartheid South Africa had maintained to the Europeans and the Americans that a self-sufficient Africa would trigger trade competition and incent investments in Africa, with below market labour cost that would threaten the Apartheid government's ability to exist. Therefore, Pan-Africanists had to be defeated. Three leaders were targeted -Murtala Muhammed, Joe Savimbi and Muhammar Ghadaffi. In any case, . . .eliminating Murtala helped South Africa but it also created an environment of mistrust. Murtala, along with military leaders close to him were targeted, including Obasanjo. The resulting mistrust was then exploited by CIA to offer protection and partnership favorable to Washingon. Putting another Hausa man in power would have infuriated the Yorubas, given that Ibrahim Taiwo was killed and they narrowly missed David Jemibewon. They would not put an Igbo officer because doing so would definitely have pleased Igbos and be viewed as an act of generosity to redress the inequities of the past. . . but then that would create the exact opposite of what South Africa was afraid of . . . self-sufficiency! So it was okay to sustain a state of tension that does not settle the reginaol grievances but at the same time is marginally controlled from breaking out into an all out war. Yes, there is more that is still classified . . . they will release it one day. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by seeklove: 11:45pm On Jul 06, 2009 |
From where do you guys get these information. Please let me know, I will like to investigate on this too. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 12:13am On Jul 07, 2009 |
Destabilisation Campaign When Muritala Mohammed was killed on 13 February 1976, suspicions were widespread that the CIA had a hand in assassination. This much is reflected in a secret report prepared by the U.S. Information Agency, the propaganda office that oversees VOA broadcasts and U.S. Information Service (USIS) installations around the world. The USIS 1976 Country Plan for Nigeria, declassified only five years ago, acknowledged that the political climate in Nigeria following Mohammed's assassination had been one of "uncertainty, distrust and suspicion." It further advised, "Charges of U.S. (CIA) backing for the attempted coup were prevalent [and] the Chancery and all USIS posts were physically attacked." The USIS document leaves no doubt about American intentions toward Africa's most populous nation. Indeed, the same confidential report called Nigeria "the primary external source of crude oil for the United States," and repeatedly stressed the need for increased American influence. Many of the State Department's Nigeria cables for the months prior to the assassination of Brig. Muritala Mohammed are still classified. Others, which have been released to investigators in recent years, are inconclusive. But the record nonetheless illustrates the paranoia that existed in the United States at the time about access to oil and about Nigeria's growing capability to influence the rest of the continent. A 26 September 1975 communique complains, for instance, that Nigeria had supplied several thousands of dollars to leaders of the then-banned African National Congress in Lusaka. Another, written in January of 1976 and classified as "confidential," cited rhetoric heard with increasing frequency from Nigerian leaders about the "uncompromising supremacy of Nigeria's national interest," as well as opposition to what Mohammed himself had reportedly described as "blackmail and vicious propaganda" from the west. Perhaps worst of all was the unpardonable sin committed by Mohammed when he declined an official visit by U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger which was proposed for May of 1976. U.S.intelligence-gathering operations likewise escalated at an alarming pace during Mohammed's rule. In a 20 January 1976 cable from Lagos to Washington, for example, U.S. Ambassador Donald Easum warned: "If Nigeria wants to use oil as a political weapon to promote its foreign policy, this would not necessarily involve further nationalisation. But could mean FMG is considering ways it might assert greater control over which consuming countries get Nigerian oil, depending on positions those countries take on foreign policies issues of interest to Nigeria. We understand several other possibly important papers/addresses delivered at senior officers meeting, reportedly including Un/Ife scholar's advocacy of Nigeria's using oil weapon. We and consul Ibadan will attempt obtain relevant papers and will report further if warranted." And yet another secret dispatch, written less than two weeks before Mohammed was killed, hints that U.S. officials were prepared to sabotage Nigeria's booming economy. Nigeria, wrote Ambassador Easum on 2 February 1976, "desires to play leadership role, [and will] require modern army if its power (within African context) is to be credible. Further, it likely that given foreseeable internal political realities, Nigeria will maintain relatively large army for some time to come." The same telegram listed a series of modern weapons likely to be acquired by the Nigerian government, and asserted the belief that a "civilian government might exercise a more restraint." But it ended on an even more bitter note: "One development would act as a constraint on Nigerian arms purchases: a sharp drop in the price of petroleum. Defence budget would presumably have to be cut proportionately with fall in revenue if government were to meet minimum developmental and social demands on its resources. Easum." |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 8:00am On Jul 07, 2009 |
more? |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by JustGood(m): 9:16am On Jul 07, 2009 |
link? |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by desgiezd(m): 9:52am On Jul 07, 2009 |
Yeah, more |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by Ibime(m): 10:25am On Jul 07, 2009 |
CIA been involved in many skitznels, one of the earliest evidenced cases being their support of Mobutu's dethronement of Kasa-Vubu as well as the assassination of Lumumba, hence I wont be surprised if they chook head for Naija business as well. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by texazzpete(m): 10:43am On Jul 07, 2009 |
These articles are high on entertainment and perilously short on facts. This should be the other wAy, at the barest minimum. Coups didn't wreck Nigeria. Many millitary regimes worldwide have recorded better improveme ts than civillian rule. Nigerian greed and stupidity killed this country. Not from the leaders only, but from the generalpopulace. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by SamMilla1(m): 11:23am On Jul 07, 2009 |
I made a post here telling people that the problems we have are the UNITED STATED and BRITAIN. I know what i hear here by ordinary citizens of Europe on the streets. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by Beaf: 11:41am On Jul 07, 2009 |
texazzpete: So Lumumba, Nkruma, Martin Luther King ain't enough? Curiousity and a little reading around would help to lever you out of ignorance. Take this as a start; Abacha phoned Collin Powell before his coup. http://allafrica.com/stories/200906031093.html Ask the question why Abacha who was not even head of state had Collin Powells number and why he could call at 2 a.m. You only call your closest buddies at 2 a.m. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by texazzpete(m): 12:22pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
Beaf: the topic concerns NIGERIA. Even a retarded 10 year old should know that Nkrumah, Lumumba and MLK aren't nigerians. Do you bother to preview your posts to see if they pass the common sense test? I do a lot of reading. I'm just not stupid enough to swallow conspiracy theories with no concrete proof. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by texazzpete(m): 12:34pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
@Beaf did you Just include that allafrica link as proof of CIA involvement? Why does it strike u as odd that the most powerful millitary officer in Nigeria would have the number of his counterpart in the US? Don't you know that the first thing considered by army coup plotters is the international recognition of the legitimacy of theIr Governments? Is this the sort of thing you consider as concrete proof? It Appears I gave u too much credit for intelligence. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by Beaf: 12:46pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
texazzpete: Being selective? How did you miss this? THE U.S. CONGRESS INVESTIGATES THE MURDER OF FOREIGN LEADERS BY THE C.I.A. AND CALLS FOR A PRESIDENTIAL DECREE TO END THE PRACTICE.And you acuse me of not reading the article? That the very first line. Doh!!  So I can say this legitimately: So Lumumba, Nkruma, Martin Luther King ain't enough? Now continue dancing on your own toes and tripping yourself. . . |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by Beaf: 12:56pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
texazzpete: I could ask you the same sort of stupid question you asked earlier, if these were Nigerian. But I'll leave that game to you; I'm sure you can run rings around yourself. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by texazzpete(m): 6:28pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
Beaf: The first line you happily cite is from the article's poster opinion, not from any news site. The wording easily gives it away. Is this truly the best defence you can come up with? Oya, show me any reputable news report stating that the US senate is probing the CIA for 'the murder of foreign presidents and has made a call to the US president to outlaw this practice'. You still demonstrate a shocking lack of intelligence in your answers. The topic clearly seeks to imply that the CIA has has a direct role in the Nigeria coups of the past. Talking about issues in other countries still does not make a case for blaming the CIA. For example, Russian forces overthrew the Afghan government and killed the president prior to the invasion of Afghanistan. Does that mean that the KGB is responsible for all coups in the world also? When you're in a hole, stop digging |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by texazzpete(m): 6:33pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
Beaf: Is this the best you could come up with? My response was to Sam Milla's assertion that Nigeria's problems stem from the US and Britain. Read his comment again and you'll see how apt my response is. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by Beaf: 7:21pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
texazzpete: I'm sure the article poster's opinion sets the tone of debate? Am I missing something or are you suggesting that we we just manufacture something external to the topic to reply to?  What is your definition of reputable? There is every reason to relate the CIA’s actions in other countries to our beloved Nigeria; you learn either by your experiences or the experiences of others. . . I repeat; So Lumumba, Nkruma, Martin Luther King ain't enough? Beaf: Yeah, take that as a [b]start[/b]ing point for the research that will begin to educate you. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by rookie(m): 9:01pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
- Texxapete and Beaf Just a suggestion- if you guys can loose the ego conflict and eloquently deliver your arguments without insults, your plights might be a little more resounding! |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by bawomolo(m): 9:03pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
The belgian secret police and not the CIA is responsible for Lumumba's death. The CIA typically gets credits for things it didn't do or barely supported. The case of lumumba is one. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by Beaf: 9:16pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
@rookie. Sorry about that. @bawomolo I believe you're wrong. Do this google search; http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=CIA+lumumba&meta= See what you come up with? This is from the New York Times; "Perhaps no single episode cited in the Church committee's report provides a more graphic illustration than the lurid and botched C.I.A. intrigue to kill Patrice Lumumba" http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/02/opinion/l-cia-war-against-lumumba-illustrated-errors-of-covert-policy-855987.html The wikepedia article on Lumumba has several references (including the CIA attempt to kill Lumumba by injecting poison into his toothpaste); http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by bawomolo(m): 9:20pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
Beaf: the tooth paste attempt was a flop. it never happened. the presence of the belgian secret police in the congo was much much stronger. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by Beaf: 9:30pm On Jul 07, 2009 |
Yes, the toothpaste attempt failed but the fact that an attempt was made at all by the CIA proves the point of this article. Lumumba was later overthrown by the CIA backed coup that brought in "Field Marshal" Mobutu Sese Seko. The Belgians carried out his execution in Congo, during Mobutu's regime. There's always been fiddling to our detriment, thats not saying we don't cause some of the problems. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by texazzpete(m): 12:23am On Jul 08, 2009 |
Beaf: This article was set up to indict the CIA for complicity in the coups in Nigeria. How does a reported attempt on the life of Lumumba in far-away congo 'prove' the point of this article? You seem to be struggling with the definition of the word 'proof'. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 11:54pm On Jul 08, 2009 |
Pondering a Military Invasion To appreciate fully Obasanjo's curious connections to western insiders, one must first look at the circumstances under which Mohammed was murdered, at the political context of the times, and at other key players in the events of the 1970s. The OPEC oil embargo of 1973 and 1974 presented the wealthy nations of the northern hemisphere with the most serious crisis they have faced in recent history. Unlike any other event of the 20th century, the action impressed upon western leaders their vulnerability to collective action by resource-rich states in the southern hemisphere. In fact, the oil boycott accomplished something that two "world wars" and a half-century-long East-West confrontation never even touched: it altered the distribution of wealth between north and south. Moreover, the embargo came at a time when the U.S. was still stinging from the humiliation of its military defeat in Vietnam, and when American political institutions were under siege from within. Anti-war protests convulsed the country from coast to coast. A civil rights movement, massive in scope, challenged the old class structure, while riots in urban centers diverted the attention and resources of government. In the midst of this upheaval, Congress launched an unprecedented investigation into CIA misdeeds around the world. And even as all these events combined to shake the political establishment, a scandal of historical proportions began to unfold which would eventually force then-President Richard M. Nixon from office. It is also worth noting that the OPEC action would have been even more devastating to the U.S. and its western allies if it had been complete. But as Nigeria's head of state, Yakubu Gowan opted to permit shipments to the U.S. throughout the boycott. It is not entirely surprising, then, that just one month after the nationalist Muritala Mohammed took office, an elaborate "feasibility study" was presented to Congress which explored the options for a military invasion of the oil-rich Nigerian coast. The detailed military document -- called "Oil Fields as Military Objectives" and dated August 21, 1975 -- was prepared to provide background to legislators in the event that the U.S. "vital interest" was threatened by a repeat of the OPEC sanctions. Among other things, the Congressional report noted that Nigeria would offer little more than "token resistance" to a U.S. invasion -- primarily because it was considered unlikely that the Nigerians would learn of the pending attack in time to sabotage the oil fields. Moreover, said the Congressional report, transit routes from Nigeria to the eastern U.S. are relatively direct -- without "bottlenecks, such as the Suez Canal and Strait of Hormuz, [to] interfere with traffic flow." Nigerian oil wells, the study's writers concluded, could "pump enough petroleum to maintain the U.S. economy at a reduced pace if we conserved a million barrels a day," and offered the additional advantage of having "essential refinery capacities" already in place. Of particular military significance was the fact that the potential for Soviet involvement on the Nigeria front was considered low. "Outsiders would find it difficult or impossible to oppose U.S. actions [to seize Nigerian petroleum installations]," the document insisted. "No intervening obstacles impede passage , to the United States or its principal allies." But there were important drawbacks, as well. "Parachute assaults, for example, would be impractical," the document warned. "Nigeria's fields are in mangrove swamps and rain forest similar to those that frustrated U.S. forces in Southeast Asia." Worse yet, it continued, Nigeria's oil-rich coastline was densely populated, making guerrilla warfare a certainty and mandating "special tactics, tools, and techniques" on the part of the invader. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 11:59pm On Jul 08, 2009 |
texazzpete? huh? sighs, you were better than this. what happened to you tex?  |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by texazzpete(m): 7:22am On Jul 09, 2009 |
kosovo: At least i have the common sense to always include links to whatever news i cite here. Given the general flakiness of your posting history (HINT: They aren't know for any intelligent discourse) i treat everything from you with the highest levels of skepticism. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by davidif: 7:38am On Jul 09, 2009 |
THE U.S. CONGRESS INVESTIGATES THE MURDER OF FOREIGN LEADERS BY THE C.I.A. AND CALLS FOR A PRESIDENTIAL DECREE TO END THE PRACTICE. MEANWHILE, THE ECONOMY GOES INTO A TAILSPIN BECAUSE OF RISING OIL PRICES AND A NEAR-COMPLETE OIL EMBARGO AGAINST THE WEST. JUST WHEN PUBLIC PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR A REFORM OF THE GOVERNMENT'S SECRET OPERATIONS OVERSEAS, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SINGLE-MOST IMPORTANT OIL SUPPLYING NATION FALLS INTO NATIONALIST HANDS. THE PRESIDENTIAL ORDER IS PREPARED AND SIGNED -- BUT NOT UNTIL FIVE DAYS AFTER A COUP PUTS NIGERIA FIRMLY UNDER 'FRIENDLY' RULE. WAS IT COINCIDENCE OR CONSPIRACY? SUSPICIONS STILL LINGER, Oh boy, not again, here comes the conspiracy theorists. It seems as if everybody blames the CIA for everything. Even the Ayotollah of Iran blamed the CIA for Michael Jackson's death. Even Mugabe probably blames them for the economic crisis in Zimbabwe. In fact, these seems to be the number 1 instruction on every dictator's playbook. When your policies fail and things are not going as well as they are supposed to, just blame the CIA. When the people are revolting or protesting against the govt. blame a "foreign western power", if that doesn't work, blame the CIA ha ha ha. Kosovo, You seem to be like most Nigerians who are willing to believe anything that anyone posts on the internet, (unbelievable), very soon you would be saying that aliens exist or that USA didn't land on the moon or that George Bush planned 9/11 so that he could invade Iraq. he he he, keep up the good work ehn, okare o. By the way, the CIA isn't that ubiquitous, you people give them waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much credit for such an incompetent organization. Imagine this guys didn't even have anybody on the ground in Iraq before they even invaded, they were relying on some other intelligence agencies. During the Gulf war, Saddam had built a nuclear facility to build nuclear weapons and they missed it totally. They failed to predict the insurrection and the ensuing chaos in Iran in 1979, this was something right under there very noses and you guys are looking at them as if they are all omnipresent, ye ye people. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 8:13am On Jul 09, 2009 |
The Assassination Inquiry Even as the U.S. government was preparing for the possibility of full-fledged petroleum sanctions that could impinge on the nation's "vital interests" and planning its long-range population reduction scheme, yet another development destined to shake the Washington hierarchy was taking shape. Congress, in response to growing distrust of government among the American public, began holding hearings into abuses by the CIA. Of particular interest was the matter of political assassinations and plots to overthrow foreign heads of state. And there was abundant evidence of CIA involvement in such actions in Africa. The Agency's role in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, for instance, was first revealed publicly by the former chief of the CIA's Angola division, John Stockwell, in a landmark book titled In Search of Enemies: A CIA Story. In that 1978 expose, Stockwell asserts that the Congolese leader had been eliminated to preserve "a half-billion- dollar investment in Zairian mineral resources," which the west felt would end up in the wrong hands if Lumumba controlled the vast central African nation. In his book, Stockwell also recalls a conversation with a fellow U.S. operative who told of "driving about town after curfew with Patrice Lumumba's body in the trunk of his car, trying to decide what to do with it." According to Stockwell (and confirmed in testimony given before Congress), Richard Helms, CIA director from 1966 to 1973, had ordered the destruction of numerous records re- lating to the assassination of Lumumba. Stockwell also reveals in the same book that, "the CIA station in Ghana played a major role in the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah in 1966." Formerly secret State Department records have also revealed that the United States worked closely with British colonial rulers in the early 1950s as part of a plot aimed at "breaking the back" of the Mau Mau movement and, in particular, at getting independence leader Jomo Kenyatta "out of circulation without due process of law," in the words of a top secret October 1952 cable from Nairobi to Washington. More recently, published reports have suggested that an American diplomat, working as a CIA contact, engineered the capture by South African police of Nelson Mandela in August of 1962. One outcome of the hearings -- held in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate __ was that, by January 1975, strong pressures were brought to bear upon the White House to issue an Executive Order barring foreign assassinations. And that very month, then-President Gerald Ford, Nixon's successor in office, openly acknowledged that disclosure of the CIA's involvement in assassination conspiracies "would blacken the reputation of every President after Harry Truman." But oddly, the year passed without any such presidential directive. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 8:16am On Jul 09, 2009 |
@texazzpete At least i have the common sense to always include links to whatever news i cite here. Given the general flakiness of your posting history (HINT: They aren't know for any intelligent discourse) i treat everything from you with the highest levels of skepticism.You know me so well, i always provide links to the source, but this one, i am not giving any links, cos it's was meant to be highly CLASISIFED, so you may wish to read or not. no hard feelings, no LINKS.! okay? |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 9:12pm On Jul 09, 2009 |
Obasanjo's Curious Alliances To track the careers of the high-ranking U.S. policy makers of the 1970s into the present time is to follow a sequence of bizarre coincidences -- or perhaps something far more sinister. It is here that Obasanjo's ties to the "inner circle" in Washington and New York become apparent. At the time of Mohammed's assassination, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria was Donald Easum, who enjoyed a cordial relationship with Henry Kissinger, then U.S. Secretary of State. After leaving his overseas post up through the early 1990s, Easum headed an outfit called the African-American Institute, which is headquartered across the street from United Nations in New York. The African-American Institute is an establishment created in 1954 with CIA money to promote an "exchange" of ideas between the United States and the people of Africa. It is essentially the "liberal" face of CIA-inspired meddling in Africa's internal political institutions. Although Easum was the chief of AAI, Obasanjo could easily be called its most visible African. Obasanjo is an AAI trustee, and heads its prominent African Leadership Forum. He was specially honored at the AAI Sixth Annual Awards Dinner in November, 1989. Among those serving on the advisory board of Obasanjo's Forum is the Vietnam war era Defence Secretary and one-time World Bank president, Robert McNamara. In June of 1990, McNamara was charged with planning a four-day World Bank conference in Lagos, at which population control was the only agenda. The birth reduction programme, as the Kissinger-era National Security Council paper shows, was aimed at crushing Nigeria not only militarily but also economically. Larger populations produce more wealth, and more wealth in the hands of Nigerians would mean less dependence on western "development" institutions and heightened regional influence. So obvious was the ploy that the Bank itself dared not make such a pronouncement. Instead, it sent for Obasanjo. During its planning and implementation, the Lagos conference was a well-kept secret, and World Bank press officers referred inquiries to Obasanjo's office in New York. After the meeting, however, Obasanjo publicly called upon Nigerian leaders to implement mandatory birth curbs barring families from having more than three children. And while Obasanjo was in Lagos demanding that compulsory birth control be foisted on unsuspecting Nigerians, Easum's African American Institute was busy building a shadowy political network to make it a reality. Under a tightly-worded contract between AAI and the Agency for International Development, the Institute agreed to be instrumental in producing "a policy climate conducive to the successful execution of a national family planning effort [in Nigeria] and to strengthen federal, state, and local government capability in strategic planning in order to efficiently mobilise and execute an effective and self-sustaining national family planning programme." Another outfit with extensive ties to Washington's "secret establishment" is the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a right-wing geopolitical "think-tank" whose most conspicuous team member is Henry Kissinger. Obasanjo's footprints can be found all over CSIS. On 15 December 1987, the former Nigerian leader delivered the CSIS David M. Abshire lecture -- an annual event of no small importance which takes its name from the Center's ambitious founder and head. Abshire was the first director of the Board for International Broadcasting and is a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. The Intelligence Advisory Board, established by presidential decree in October of 1985, is a select group of individuals chosen by the president and authorised to "continually review the performance of all agencies of the Federal government that are engaged in the collection, evaluation, or production of intelligence or the execution of intelligence policy." It makes recommendations directly to the president and, when approved by the president, "to the Director of Central Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other government agencies engaged in intelligence and related activities." Indeed, Abshire's CSIS publishes and sells materials written by Obasanjo, including a small paperback book titled, "Forging a Compact in U.S.-Africa Relations," which is based on Obasanjo's 1987 lecture. And roughly four years ago, Obasanjo was the featured speaker at a Washington conference on "Sudan and Nigeria: Reli- gion, Nationalism and Intolerance," which was sponsored by the government-controlled (and deceptively-named) U.S. Institute for Peace. There he presented a rambling talk that called for a "mental decarbonisation of the generality of the people in both countries [Sudan and Nigeria]" -- something his militaristic audience may well have interpreted as a veiled reference to wholesale brainwashing. A Matter of Timing The sequence of events that occurred in February of 1976 seems even more bizarre if one looks at what happened at the very top level of government -- the White House. In the fall of 1975, Ford selected a new Director of Central Intelligence, who was sworn in to office on January 30, 1976 -- exactly two weeks before the coup that brought Obasanjo to power -- over the objections of many of the same legislators who had labored to uncover abuses by the secret agency. The new CIA chief had a reputation as being the nation's most enthusiastic supporter of foreign population control measures in the 1960s and early 1970s, both as a member of the House of Representatives and as Nixon's envoy to the UN, and he later engineered the oil-motivated massacre of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. His name: George Bush. It was not until 18 February 1976 -- five days after Mohammed was killed and more than two weeks after Bush took charge of the CIA -- that President Ford signed the long-awaited Executive Order 11905 on the subject of "United States Foreign Intelligence Activi- ties." The directive stated: "No employee of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, political assassination." By then, of course, Obasanjo had been safely installed as Brig. Mohammed's replacement. |
| Re: The Cia In Nigeria: Coups Past, Present, And Future. (Updated) by kosovo(m): 9:17pm On Jul 09, 2009 |
Obasanjo's Curious Alliances To track the careers of the high-ranking U.S. policy makers of the 1970s into the present time is to follow a sequence of bizarre coincidences -- or perhaps something far more sinister. It is here that Obasanjo's ties to the "inner circle" in Washington and New York become apparent. At the time of Mohammed's assassination, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria was Donald Easum, who enjoyed a cordial relationship with Henry Kissinger, then U.S. Secretary of State. After leaving his overseas post up through the early 1990s, Easum headed an outfit called the African-American Institute, which is headquartered across the street from United Nations in New York. The African-American Institute is an establishment created in 1954 with CIA money to promote an "exchange" of ideas between the United States and the people of Africa. It is essentially the "liberal" face of CIA-inspired meddling in Africa's internal political institutions. Although Easum was the chief of AAI, Obasanjo could easily be called its most visible African. Obasanjo is an AAI trustee, and heads its prominent African Leadership Forum. He was specially honored at the AAI Sixth Annual Awards Dinner in November, 1989. Among those serving on the advisory board of Obasanjo's Forum is the Vietnam war era Defence Secretary and one-time World Bank president, Robert McNamara. In June of 1990, McNamara was charged with planning a four-day World Bank conference in Lagos, at which population control was the only agenda. The birth reduction programme, as the Kissinger-era National Security Council paper shows, was aimed at crushing Nigeria not only militarily but also economically. Larger populations produce more wealth, and more wealth in the hands of Nigerians would mean less dependence on western "development" institutions and heightened regional influence. So obvious was the ploy that the Bank itself dared not make such a pronouncement. Instead, it sent for Obasanjo. During its planning and implementation, the Lagos conference was a well-kept secret, and World Bank press officers referred inquiries to Obasanjo's office in New York. After the meeting, however, Obasanjo publicly called upon Nigerian leaders to implement mandatory birth curbs barring families from having more than three children. And while Obasanjo was in Lagos demanding that compulsory birth control be foisted on unsuspecting Nigerians, Easum's African American Institute was busy building a shadowy political network to make it a reality. Under a tightly-worded contract between AAI and the Agency for International Development, the Institute agreed to be instrumental in producing "a policy climate conducive to the successful execution of a national family planning effort [in Nigeria] and to strengthen federal, state, and local government capability in strategic planning in order to efficiently mobilise and execute an effective and self-sustaining national family planning programme." Another outfit with extensive ties to Washington's "secret establishment" is the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a right-wing geopolitical "think-tank" whose most conspicuous team member is Henry Kissinger. Obasanjo's footprints can be found all over CSIS. On 15 December 1987, the former Nigerian leader delivered the CSIS David M. Abshire lecture -- an annual event of no small importance which takes its name from the Center's ambitious founder and head. Abshire was the first director of the Board for International Broadcasting and is a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. The Intelligence Advisory Board, established by presidential decree in October of 1985, is a select group of individuals chosen by the president and authorised to "continually review the performance of all agencies of the Federal government that are engaged in the collection, evaluation, or production of intelligence or the execution of intelligence policy." It makes recommendations directly to the president and, when approved by the president, "to the Director of Central Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other government agencies engaged in intelligence and related activities." Indeed, Abshire's CSIS publishes and sells materials written by Obasanjo, including a small paperback book titled, "Forging a Compact in U.S.-Africa Relations," which is based on Obasanjo's 1987 lecture. And roughly four years ago, Obasanjo was the featured speaker at a Washington conference on "Sudan and Nigeria: Reli- gion, Nationalism and Intolerance," which was sponsored by the government-controlled (and deceptively-named) U.S. Institute for Peace. There he presented a rambling talk that called for a "mental decarbonisation of the generality of the people in both countries [Sudan and Nigeria]" -- something his militaristic audience may well have interpreted as a veiled reference to wholesale brainwashing. |
What A Senator Earns In Nigeria - N29,479,749.00 Per Month / Jumbo Pay: Incoming Lawmakers To Earn N338.6 Billion ($2.5 Billion) / MKO Abiola 14 Years After He Departed
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