Nigeria - Diplomatic Cable to The United States

[Baer]

"Well, as I said this will have to be a decision made by the President and the cabinet, but it will be done this evening. If I could take the document to him this evening. We will discuss it tonight as a cabinet. I will have time to read it and go over it with Defense Minister Acha before we brief the President."

He takes a final slug from his glass and places it on the table. He stands up and puts out a hand to shake with Ambassador Musa.

"Let's meet to tomorrow here at 9am. Let's be a little part of history."

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Private​

The Ambassador finished his drink as well, stood up, and shook the hand of the Foreign Minister. "I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning," he said with a small smile. After that, if there was nothing else to discuss, the Ambassador would return to the new American Embassy and go to his private office where he would look over documents in preparation for tomorrow's discussions. The State Department was securely informed of the progress that had been made and was informed that they would have more information in the next 24 hours or so.

Baer

 

[Baer]

Private​

In his office after long negotiations with the Korean delegation, President Acho undos his tie and unbuttons the top button of his shirt. An aid enters his private office with a tray and places it on the President's desk. The aid removes ice from the ice cube cooler and plunks a few down into a whiskey glass and pours two fingers of scotch into the glass.

"Thank you, Amazo."

"Of course, mister President. Congratulations on today's summit."

"Not done, yet. Leave the bottle."

Just as he was about to open his laptop he gets a buzz from his secretary.

"Mister President, Ministers Bonny and Acha are here to see you."

"Send them in."

Both Ministers stride in. "Good evening, sir," they both say in near unison.

President Acho rises from his chair. "What is it?" He is almost startled.

Bonny answers. 'The American Ambassador came to see me this afternoon. They want to lease Port Harcourt Airport for a year in case they need to oust Sweden from South Africa. There will be a heavy military build up."

"Americans? On our soil? What did you tell the Ambassador?"

"I told him I would come to you and I would have an answer in the morning."

"Have a seat and grab yourselves glasses," President Acho replies.

After Bonny and Acha both seat themselves and have drinks in their hands Acho begins questioning his ministers.

"What is the cover story going to be?" Acho asks.

"We will be closing the airport in order to divert funds to the newly proposed international airport in Lambda,"
Bonny replies.

"Good one, Ochuko," Acho says. Calling his old friend by his first name. Minister Abacha, can you provide enough security?

"Yes, especially when the new Police Orders Act is signed. I am still working through the diversion of military assets to the national police force."

"Work harder then."

"Yes, Mister President."

"There is one problem, however, sir. We cannot protect the airport with IFV's or APC's. It would be too suspicious. We have ordered over 5000 Humvee's from the Americans over a month ago, but we have not received word yet on their delivery. I was intending to use those to bolster our police forces."

President Acho would shoot Bonny a look.

"I will take care of it tomorrow when I speak to the Ambassador," Bonny sighs.

"What are to gain from this,' President Acho asks. "We are letting colonizers on our own soil. Again? What if word of this agreement goes public?"

Bonny replies directly. "Sir, the Swedish invasion of Africa is an attack on all of Africa. We will be using our soil, and possibly our military itself to free the last African country from European bondage. That is the message, sir."

President Acho raises his glass, "To that I will drink. How are we being compensated?"

"The Americans said they will put three hundred million into our Port Harcourt naval base, and an additional one hundred million for the lease of the base."

"As long as the story is contained for as long as possible, because it will get out, do we all agree that this is the best move?"

Acha responds first, unusual for him, as he does not like to play politics. "Sir, this move to not only stop aggression from colonizers but also any of the fomenting terrorist groups here in Africa. We have to show the world Nigeria is a rising power."

"Personally, I think the compensation is low. But, what we are doing here is really to save another African nation from enslavement. This is the way to contribute to that notion."

"Fine, then have the American Ambassador in tomorrow and tell him we agree to their terms."

With that the ministers leave the Presidents office, with Bonny going to his. He calls the American Embassy. When the switch line opens he responds, "This is Bonny at the Ministry of foreign affairs. Please make sure the ambassador is here by nine o'clock. He can follow the same security protocols as before. I will meet him outside my office."

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Private​

The American Ambassador followed the same security procedures as before and traveled to the office of Foreign Minister Bonny. He brought with him his suitcase, which only contained some documents that he may need for further discussion with his African colleagues, and also a small giftbag that contained an unopened bottle of Cognac. He waited at the security checkpoint to be allowed in so that he could meet with the Foreign Minister and hear what developments had happened with the President.

Baer

 

[Baer]

Ambassador Musa would be led to Bonny's office, following the same security protocols. At the office Bonny is already waiting for Musa as he enters the room. With a booming and beaming smile Bonny claps his hands and warmly greets the Ambassador. With a handshake and firm pat on his right shoulder.

"Glad you could make it back so soon. Ah, and I see you brought gifts. As did I. "Come follow me in." Bonny leads Musa into his office and the two when sit at the same two chairs placed specifically for warmer chats. On a TV is CNN International is the Turkish Ambassador to the GA giving a speech, but the sound is off. "Been playing all day long over and over again."

"Well, I spoke with the President and Defense Minister Sany Abacha and given the situation we should meet together or at least arrange for the American Expeditionary Forces that will be using Port Harcourt International Airport."

Bonny grins his giant grin once again and stabs his hand out to shake Ambassador Musa's hand.

"It appears we have a deal. What do you think?"

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Private​

“That is fantastic to hear,” the Ambassador said as he extended his hand to shake the Foreign Minister’s. “The White House is going to be very happy to hear this. I will have my office send over a more official agreement that we can both have our governments accept. This is a great day!” he said as he took out the bottle of Cognac and offered it to the foreign minister.

“There’s a number of different assets we’re going to send - but the first thing will be a deployment of Air Force Security Forces to secure the base and surrounding area,” he said. “That is the critical first step. Can we send them now?”

Baer

 

[Baer]

Private
​

"I will need to speak Defense Minister Abacha about that first. I am sure he has some ideas of his own. But first I can inform you we are fortunate in a way that the airport is quite isolated, but there is a town nearby, Umechiobu, as well as a university.
But I can assure you both the president and the defense minister will not in anyway want American troops patrolling outside the airport. Inside the perimeter, yes, of course. Overhead, with either drones or helicopters. But outside the base, that will not be an option.

Here, ow about you have your office send over the papers and I will get Minister Abacha on the phone and tell him it is an emergency. He is aware of your visit and I am sure he will put down whatever it is he is doing and get here on the double."

Bonny gets up from his chair and goes to his desk and picks up his phone.

"And when you say now, how long do you think it will take you to deploy? As we have to announce to the country that the third busiest airport is shutting down all of a sudden. And well, let's just say our negotiations with a third party country on actually constructing a new airport have shut down. If you do not have a cellular phone, you can call from my office. Trust me, it is as secure as the measures are to get into this building."

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Private​

"I actually have a draft that the President approved before I left, with a few edits that I of course made to it last night. Please take a look at this agreement and let me know if you think this might be acceptable? Once both of our countries can formalize this agreement, we can really get the ball rolling," Ambassador Musa said as he removed a document from his suitcase. The document was, of course, a proposed treaty between the United States and Nigeria that would be the first major diplomatic agreement between the United States and an African nation under the Gore Administration.

Baer

---

Treaty of Abuja 1999 Secret​

[TR][TD]

---

CONTEXT​

The Treaty of Abuja 1999 is a formal agreement between the sovereign nations of the United States of America (also referred to as the United States or the American Government) and the Federal Republic of Nigeria (also referred to as Nigeria, or the Nigerian Government). This treaty is meant to formalize a clear and functional working relationship between the American and Nigerian governments. Contained within this treaty are agreements of military cooperation, economic assistance, as well as other measures of cooperation between the United States and Nigeria.

ARTICLE 1
PORT HARCOURT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

​

1. The Republic of Nigeria agrees to cease all civilian and military operations at Port Harcourt International Airport and, temporarily, entirely vacate the airport and turn over full control of it to the United States for a period of time (starting August of 1999 A.D. and through the last day of September in the year 2000 A.D.). Both countries may agree to an extension of this lease with a written agreement between the United States Secretary of State and Nigerian Foreign Minister.

a. The aforementioned airport will continue to be the sovereign territory of Nigeria.​

b. The Nigerian government will allow the United States to deploy armed troops, vehicles, equipment, supplies, weapons, and all other items deemed necessary by the Untied States too and from the airport at any time of day, any day of the week or month or year for any reason.​

c. Both governments agree to not disclose that the United States is operating out of the airport, and both governments agree to secretly ratify this treaty under the appropriate American and Nigerian laws and common standards.​

d. The Nigerian Government will permit the United States to build a perimeter fence around the airport and patrol the immediate exterior of the fence (up to fifteen feet away from it); American personnel may coordinate with Nigerian police and military personnel to ensure that the airport is secure. Furthermore, all roads leading to the airport will be closed until the lease of the airport by the United States has expired.​

e. The United States will pay $100,000,000 to the Nigerian government for the lease of the airport.​

ARTICLE 2
ECONOMIC COOPERATION​

2. The American Government agrees to immediately issue a grant of $300,000,000 to Nigeria to use on domestic infrastructure projects.


Signed for the United States,

Al Gore
President of the United States of America


Signed for Nigeria,

(Signature here)
President of Nigeria[/TD][/TR]

 

[Baer]

Bonny reads the document silently, sometimes nodding his head. "I will have to take it to the President, of course. Would you like to come back this evening around six? You will need to speak to your Secretary of Defense and get him in a meeting with minister Bonny. In fact, it would be better if they met in person here to discuss security arrangements. That will be paramount, before any agreement can be signed.."

With that Bonny shakes Musa's hand and escorts him out of the office.

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Private​

“I can come back at six, Minister Bonny. I’m afraid the Secretary of Defense is not available to fly to Africa. However I suppose he could take a phone call. I can assure you, though, I can answer any questions that you or the President may have,” he said.

Ambassador Musa once again left the Foreign Ministry and waited for a response from the

Baer

 

[Baer]

At 6pm later that evening Bonny is in his office waiting for Ambassador Musa. He greets him with his usual polite but hard handshake, but this time there is no gleam in his eye. "Ambassador, Musa. Please have a seat." He then picks up the TV remote and clicks it. On the screen is President Acho.

"I hope you do not mind, His Excellency could not be here at the time, but he is keen on hearing what you and the United States have to say about this critical juncture in our nations' histories.

First and foremost, American Defense Sales with our first order we sent 6.2 Billion for a LPL which included 125 UH-60 Blackhawks only upon hearing upon the arrival date, that those choppers were not available. Well, we paid for them and will use them. You can take that up with Sparrow if it ever comes up."

Minister Bonny lets out a sigh.

"Then there is the matter of our second order which has been completely ignored for over a month. Mister Ambassador, could you please explain this? Are we working together to stamp out oppression or are you using Nigeria just like Western powers always do?"

In the corner of the room, the massive Defense Minister, Sonny Abacha, in full dress military uniform rises from his chair.

"Minister Bonny, I believe this is a negotiation, not an interrogation."

With that Abacha makes a few glasses of tea and sets them on the table.

He pulls up a chair next to Ambassador Musa.

"However, I need an explanation for the mistakes in our orders through American Defense Sales, and what you plan on doing about the "15 feet outside the wire, as you said. I have a plan. Do you?"

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"Forgive me, Foreign Minister. I do not work for the Defense Department. However, I understand your frustration. I do not exactly what you're talking about in regards to the UH-60 Blackhawks. Are you saying that the United States or Sparrow Industries blocked your production of the Blackhawk?" Ambassador Musa asked.

"I can tell you that American Defense Sales is overwhelmed. It's an underfunded entity that is under the authority of the Department of Defense. Soldiers are not very good salesmen, and the Defense Department is not the best at logistical export to countries all over the planet. However, for now, they are in charge of it and they have been doing their best to make it work. If there have been mistakes made I can tell you that they were not intentional. We have repeatedly blocked productions in the past when we did not want other countries building our vehicles or weapons - if we felt that way towards Nigeria, we would never have approved it in the first place. However, if we issued an LPL to you for something that we shouldn't have then we can make that right. If you try to build these helicopters again, they should go through.

"Next, I'm not sure about the second order that didn't go through. I imagine that it was just lost in the fray. I am not confident that DoD will approve the export of the F-15E or A-10 to Nigeria. These are aircraft that we would not sell to our own allies. However I do think the helicopters and the corvettes will be approved," he said.

Baer

 

[Baer]

"I am very aware, that you do not work for the DOD. But I do believe you have enough clout with someone who does Since," he would emphasize the word. "Since there will be an untold number of US serviceman on my native soil. Please get us into contact that will approve our orders, including the F-15's and A-10's which we deem vital to our national security. And I have it on good authority the F-15 has been exported. This new internet is a wonderful thing, Mister Ambassador. Just push the F-15's and A-10 through."

He would continue.

"As for 15 feet outside the wire, I have spoken with Defense Minister Abacha and he has come up with a plan. He is basically going to treat the airport almost as a Forward Operating Base except the wire is going to be a kilometer and a half out. It will be roughly 10 miles square. We will erect a Hesco fence line to surround the base and will eventually have a paved road wide enough for two APC's. There will be several well-fortified exits as well guard towers every 300 meters. Will will also erect several barracks for our own troops inside the wire, as this regiment will effectively be inside the wire for the duration of your deployment.

The defense minister has given you authority within 100 meters of your established defense line, which is effectively the edges of the base. You may build what you want inside of those 100 meters of your established defense line.

The cover story will be the same; We are closing the airport to construct a new International Airport at Ibadan. We hope you can at least initially restrict flights and sorties to the evening so the locals do not see aircraft coming to and from the air base that are obviously something we do not have in our inventory. If the story gets out the the air base is still operating, we will say the base has always been operational but that now it is a tactical air base and leave it at that."

With that bonny would reach into his desk and pull out a file. In it is a signed copy of the Treaty of Abuja, signed by President Acho.
He would hand it to Ambassador Musa. "Please give us two weeks after we announce the cover story. The civilian workers will be given temporary government jobs. The airport is yours to do with what you like. Just leave us a nice air base when you're through.
Have the CO of the base contact Defense Minister Abacha as soon as possible. And after this I would like a weekly meeting.

"Now how about we dip into that bottle of whiskey you sent."
Odinson

 

[Odinson]

"I understand, thank you for bringing these matters to my attention," the Ambassador said. "Unfortunately I cannot guarantee that the Defense Department will agree to this. However, I will make some calls to the Pentagon and see what can be done. If the federal government agrees to export these items, I will be sure to get back to you. Thank you very much for your time."

If there was nothing else to discuss, the Ambassador and the other Americans at the building would return to the American Embassy and get back to their diplomatic duties.

Baer

 

[Baer]

Minister Ochuko Bonny arrives from work around 0730 after his daily 5k run. The predicaments with Americans has been on his mind and he needs the run to help clear his mind. He asks his secretary to phone the American Embassy. "Please inform the Americans I would like to see them today. It can be on their time, but it needs to be today."

Odinson

 

[Baer]

Private Journals​

After returning from lunch Minister Bonny would ask his secretary to place another call to the America Ambassador Musa. It would be private of course. But it has been weeks, maybe months.

He would then click on his Intel laptop and open up the New York Times.

Hey was always a fan of Thomas Friedman. Liked his nuanced stance with the Palestinian/Israel issue. He reads a recent article about President Al Gore's Thanksgiving dinner on another page.

Bonny is thinking about blowing the secret about the US military base in Nigeria to invade Swedish forces in South Africa.
Odinson

 

[Baer]

"Shit, Shit, Shit......Encrypt this now."

 

[Axis12]

Assuming the Journal was online and temporarily unencrypted the MIT(NIO) which is constantly monitoring the internet would pick up on a slight blip and wold immediately record all data on the Journal that was public. This included details on a U.S. Military base that would be used as a base of operation for an invasion of South Africa. The data would be passed through command. This would be all secret.

 

[Baer]

Private Journal as in one you would scribble in.

 

[Connor]

⌈ ROLEPLAY NOTICE ⌋

Hello Baer and Axis12 ,

Following the submission of Support Ticket #V58O6RYC:

I note Post #36 specifically mentions the word 'Private' at the head of the post which is a recognised terms in Roleplay Ruleset: General Rule 6 thus rendering the entirity of that specific post, unless stated otherwise, a private communication. I have reviewed the edit history and all edits were made prior to any other players responses and within the 10 minute window allowed under Roleplay Ruleset: General Rule 3. There is no mention at any post between in-character roleplay posts between Post #36 and #45 that would suggest these journals were in an electronic, unencrypted format at any stage.

All players should be mindful that roleplay in this sub-forum requires at least 80 words, anything less than this is open to scrutiny and runs the risk of being deemed void; as detailed in Roleplay Ruleset: General Rule 1.

In conclusion: Post #36 is considered a private entry to a physical journal and no electronic or other form communication capable of interception has been detailed thus making Post #38 void. All in-character posts will remain in situ for reference however any out-of-character replies will be deleted following this notice. No further dispute should be made here and any further questions should be raised in a support ticket.

Regards,
Connor
ModernNations Staff Team