Source: www.Nigerianhome..com/2010/02/us-gives-conditions-for-dropping.html

The United States of America has given four conditions that Nigeria must meet before it can be removed from the terror watch-list.

One of the conditions is that the Federal Government must make a public condemnation of acts of terrorism wherever they occur in the world.

The US also wants Nigeria to take urgent steps to address security lapses at its airports.

The third condition is that Nigeria must be a party to an agreement to deploy air marshals on all US-bound flights originating from Nigeria.

It also advised that the anti-terrorism bill is pending before the National Assembly must be passed into law.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, disclosed this to the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs in Abuja on Thursday.

The meeting between Maduekwe and the lawmakers took place behind closed doors but the Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Umar Bature, gave the highlights of the agenda shortly after the session ended.

According to Bature, the conditions came out of the ongoing discussions between Nigeria and the US State Department after the event of December 25, 2009, in which a 23-year-old Nigerian, Umar AbdulMutallab, attempted to bomb a Detroit-bound aircraft.

The lawmaker stated that in the course of the discussions, the US explained that Nigeria was placed on the list of ‘countries of interest’ due mainly to AbdulMutallab’s case and not because of the internal cases of sectarian violence such as the recent Jos crisis.

Bature added that in spite of the clarification, Nigeria had sustained its protest and argued that it did not deserve to be on the list.

He said, “It is now very clear that it was the isolated case involving that young man (AbdulMutllab) that got Nigeria into this problem.

“It had nothing to do with reports on pockets of internal cases of violence in Nigeria.

“But, even the US does not see Nigeria as a terrorist country. No; they are saying that we are a country of interest.

“What that means is that there should be adequate security checks on ‘anybody,’ not just Nigerians, leaving Nigeria for the US.

“There are lapses at the airports and they have said that much.”

Asked whether Maduekwe assured the committee that Nigeria was ready to meet the conditions, Bature replied that they should not be difficult for Nigeria to meet.

Regarding the anti-terrorism law, he noted that the condition had almost been met with the bill on terrorism already before the National Assembly.

“So, in a way, we have met one of the conditions; all that is needed is for us to hasten the passage of that piece of legislation,” he added.

On security, Bature observed that the Federal Government reacted after the December incident by beefing up security at the airports, an indication that the country was committed to ensuring the safety of air travellers.

He, however, tried to avoid a question on whether US President Barack Obama and President Umaru Yar’Adua were able to communicate on the AbdulMutallab incident.

First, he claimed not to be aware that Obama tried to reach Yar’Adua on the telephone after the incident occurred but did not succeed.

But when pressed further, Bature said, “The issue you are referring to did not come up during our discussion with the minister.

“He did not come here to speak on that; we only took a brief from him on what the executive arm of government has been doing since the incident happened.”

He also claimed that the issue was being handled at the level of the US State Department and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, which did not require the participation of the presidents of the two countries.

Maduekwe did not offer any comments after the meeting.

However, he had said that Nigeria chose to handle the matter diplomatically rather than being confrontational.

The minister hinted that most of the steps the government had taken in addressing the issue were adopted after wide consultations with the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“We want to thank the committee for the guidance and advice the members, especially the chairman, gave in the course of this matter.

“To a very large extent, those suggestions assisted us and we are optimistic that soon, this case will be resolved,” Maduekwe stated.

The US Transportation Security Administration had on January 4, 2010 listed Nigeria alongside Yemen, Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia as countries classified as ‘security risk states.’

Other countries listed by the TSA include Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria as ‘sponsors of terrorism.’

THE PUNCH had reported that tough times awaited Nigerian travellers as a result of the decision of the US government.

TSA, in its statement, had said that air travellers with Nigerian passports and any of the above-listed nations would henceforth face thorough screening.

It had said, “Beginning from (today) January 4, 2010, passengers flying into the United States from certain countries will be subjected to enhanced screening techniques, such as body scans and pat-downs. The order includes the requirement that all passengers on US-bound international flights will be subjected to random screening.”

But the Minister of Foreign Affairs had denied that Nigeria was listed by the United States as a terrorist state.

Maduekwe had earlier explained that Nigeria was on the list of US friendly countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and 14 other nations.

He said, “Let me use this opportunity to clarify this controversy. Nigeria is not on US terror watch list. We do not believe that the current event, which involves a Nigerian in terrorist act, will alter that.

“Nigeria is not accused of sponsoring terrorism; we cannot be because it is not in our character and not in our culture.

“Being on the list of countries of interest implies that citizens from these countries will be subjected to thorough checks, just like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc. These countries are not on terror list, just like Nigeria. But even at that, it is not acceptable to us.

“US said there is need to enhance security control for reasons which are clearly stated by them, they will naturally in their own judgment look more closely about traffic, in respect of 14 listed countries.”


Source: www.Nigerianhome..com/2010/02/us-gives-conditions-for-dropping.html

But if they include us in their terror watch list.

Why can't we create our own terror watch list and include the US.

we just need to ignore that their list. Then go remove am when they tire. If then want us to find new friends in Russia and China then we should show them we are willing to do that.

The usual US style, armtwisting other nations to suit its own ends! The unofficial no. 1 terror nation placed naija on terror list in order to force poisonous pills down our throat i.e AFRICOM e.t.c

The Conditions are dumb, senseless and meaningless. What has a young Nigerian man that tried detonating a bomb in an airplane got to do with the actions of every other Nigerian, highly senseless.

You pay very dearly when your president vanishes into thin air and your country becomes a joke and a laughing stock. I don't blame the US, this should be a warning to us to get our act together.

Mamagee, what do you expect when we have dumb and senseless nigerian govt officials dat failed to protest our inclusion on US terror watch list? America govt is a big bully but our own govt has failed to protect its own citizens hence all these insults from US.

for crying out loud NELSON MANDELA was on US terror list as late as 3 years ago. So go figure.

The will soon remove it. Am sure they will continue watching it though not on the list.

mama-gee:

The Conditions are dumb, senseless and meaningless. What has a young Nigerian man that tried detonating a bomb in an airplane got to do with the actions of every other Nigerian, highly senseless.

have you not read anything realeased from the us state department?  the issue is with the nigerian govenment or lack there of, not because of one retard! 
also the list doesn NOT mean nigeria is a terrorist country, the us state department has said this several times angain reiterated in this article.  "Hon Gbenga Oduwaiye, a member said that the interaction with the Minister has erased the impression that the listing of Nigeria on the terror watch list has to do with Nigeria as a country." "He debunked claims that the inclusion of Nigeria on the watch list makes it a terrorist country. He added that Nigeria was listed as a “country of interest” which, according to him means that anybody flying from or through Nigeria, irrespective of his citizenship should be watched."

OYB_MEND:

But if they include us in their terror watch list.

Why can't we create our own terror watch list and include the US.

we just need to ignore that their list. Then go remove am when they tire. If then want us to find new friends in Russia and China then we should show them we are willing to do that.

so create one, add the us.  add who ever you wish, noone is stopping you.  noone is forcing the nigerian government to do anything either.  if you want off the list - do these completely reasonable things which could be implimented in a whole 12 hours if they really wanted to, or ignore it.  whatever