MORE details are emerging regarding the transfer of ownership to Nigeria of a veteran US warship formerly called Chase, now renamed NNS Thunder.

President Barack Obama had approved granting of the ship to Nigeria way back in January at the peak of the Ivorien presidential election crisis.

According to diplomatic and military sources from Nigeria and US in California, the donation of the ship to Nigeria may have been partly influenced by the political crisis in Cote d’Ivoire where the defeated President Laurent Gbagbo had refused to hand over power to the internationally recognised winner of the election, Alassane Quattara.

This caused intense diplomatic concern and activities in the West African region under the leadership of Nigeria with active support of the US government.

Similarly, even though Nigeria has taken over control of the US ship, under the US rules governing the transfer, Nigeria cannot in the future transfer the ship to another country that may use it against US national security.

A reliable source explained that the US President gave the authority to supply a ship of the class of US Chase to Nigeria in January, in reaction to Nigeria’s growing readiness to ensure the removal of Gbagbo from office, even if it required military force as a last resort.

Another US source said that President Obama and the US Department of the Navy, which is the implementing agency on the grant, okayed the transfer exactly on January 13, 2011. At the time, it was not clear which of the ships would be given to Nigeria.

The US Chase was later decommissioned in March alongside Hamilton. While Chase was given to Nigeria, Hamilton was actually donated to the Philippines although earlier reports had erroneously claimed both were going to Nigeria.

At the transfer ceremony, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, was the guest of honour and the leader of a large Nigerian delegation to the Coast Guard base in Alameda, California.

Adefuye stated that the ship would enhance the peace and security of the region and also promote democracy in West Africa, partly by serving as deterrence to dictators.

He confirmed that Nigeria did not pay for the ship, but said that it would be refitted to Nigeria’s specification.

Fielding questions from The Guardian at the weekend in California after the ceremony,  Adefuye confirmed that the donation of the ship would further enhance Nigeria’s military leadership role in the region.

Also speaking on the ship’s transfer to Nigeria, Mr. Charles Richards, the Public Affairs Chief of the US Coast Guards base in Alameda, California, explained that Nigeria did not have to pay for the ship since it was a grant from the US government.

But he explained that there were other charges that Nigeria would have to pay including the cost of training of Nigerian crewmembers, who will manage the ship.

In addition, Richards said there would also be charges for the fuel that would be used to transfer the ship to Nigeria, a trip that will start later in July at the end of the training of the crew.

Besides, there are also charges for new equipment to be installed on the ship. He put all the costs at about $8m.

US sources said that under the US Department of Defense, DOD Excess Defense Articles rule, the American government usually provides excess defense articles with an acquisition value totaling billions of dollars in few year to just about 57 foreign governments friendly to the United States, including Nigeria.

According to the US government sources, “Excess defense articles are DoD-owned items no longer needed and declared excess by the U.S. Armed Forces.

“The articles may require demilitarisation (disassembly or destruction) when no longer needed by foreign governments to prevent transfers of excess defense articles to governments not friendly to the United States.”

While the US president has the authority to make the grant, the executive arm of the US government will have to inform the Congress of the transfer of the ship to Nigeria, since the Congress has oversight functions on such Excess Defense Articles, EDA, and must receive an annual report.

Under the EDA, there are several ways an article, like the ship, can be transferred including a Grant Authority, which is where the US practically donates the article — in this case the ship — to a friendly nation like Nigeria.

For the weekend transfer in California to Nigeria, it was the Grant Authority option used. Other options include conducting an outright sale of the excess article.

There is also a transfer Grant of a Non-Lethal Authority. However, the ship Nigeria received on Friday is considered a lethal article considering it is a warship.

It would be recalled that during the debate among African Union leaders on Cote d’Ivoire’s political crisis, while Nigeria and ECOWAS actively led the charge for the removal of Gbagbo, some African countries, including South Africa, were opposed to the move and refused to endorse Alassane Quattara, who was acclaimed by the UN as the winner of the presidential election.

Later in February, a South African ship headed towards Cote d’Ivoire, a move seen by diplomats as against ECOWAS’ decision to remove Gbagbo by force if need be.

The ECOWAS Commission Chairperson, James Gbeho, came out openly to oppose the deployment of the South African ship. The ship had been in the West African waters much earlier than February when it was seen heading for Cote d’Ivoire.

-Guardian

Posted by admin on May 15 2011. Filed under Armed Forces, Headlines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry