The United States has said that it will not station any marine in the troubled Niger Delta.
The Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate General, Lagos Office, Mr. Tim Gerhardson, who made this known on Friday, also reiterated Washington�s support for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for its efforts at eradicating corruption in Nigeria.
Gerhardson spoke on the ongoing crisis in the Niger Delta during an interactive session with journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He said, �We will not station a marine in the Niger Delta. But we are training Nigeria�s military in the creeks. That is the extent of our cooperation and that is the same thing we do in other countries of Africa.�
Gerhardson said the recent training of 150 EFCC operatives by the Federal Bureau of Investigation was one of the ways through which the US was assisting the Nigerian anti-graft agency.
Gerhardson said the training centred on crime detection techniques and identification of illegal groups.
He added that Nigeria�s strategic importance to global economy made it imperative for the US to be involved in protecting people�s investments.
The US and Britain are collaborating with Nigeria, in terms of military training and other aids, to secure oil installations and halt kidnappings in the oil-rich region.
Some American oil companies, including ExxonMobil and Chevron Nigeria, are some of the key players in the area.
The US is interested in peace in the Niger Delta because approximately 65 per cent of Nigerian crude oil production is light and sweet.
The light and sweet brands are particularly suited for US refineries because they yield high volumes of gasoline.
The US gasoline consumption accounts for 11 per cent of the world oil production.
Growing demand and shrinking domestic production means that America is importing more and more oil each year, much of it from the world�s most unfriendly or unstable regions.
Statistics show that of the $54bn trade deficit reported in August 2007, more than a fifth or $12bn is from imported crude oil.
Gerhardson also said the US consulate also had a drug enforcement agency which was partnering with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to curb drug abuse and trafficking.
The US, according to him, commits $187m annually to counter terrorism, advancement of education, creation of awareness on HIV/AIDS, eradication of tuberculosis and polio as well as other developmental issues in Nigeria.
Gerhardson added that the consulate had strategic partnership with a number of credible non-governmental organisations in Nigeria.
He said the objective was to improve the quality of life of average Nigerians, especially through the combat of diseases.
The diplomat said the US was now very alert on how to counter terrorism across the globe.
He said, �Any dollar spent in Nigeria is a US tax- payers� money not spent on education, health, energy and other projects in the US. So, we have to guard this spending jealously and that is why we monitor the spending.
�The 9/11 taught us a lesson where people came to kill and maim in the name of a terrorist organisation called Al Qaeda. We are now very alert on terrorism and that informs our cooperation with the security agencies.�
On the alleged frisking of Nigerian leaders at the point of entry in the US, Gerhardson said there had been a misconception about the laws of the US.
He said, �There is no way you can say Nigerians are targeted. It�s the same treatment for everybody. We are always surprised to read in the papers things like the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, was maltreated in the US.
�One thing people don�t realise is that we treat everybody fairly and equally. It has nothing to do with your religion, colour, sex or gender or age. Why do you think Soyinka should be treated differently from you?�
On the stringent procedure for obtaining a US visa, he said the influx of an average of 400 people daily to the visa application centres had made it imperative to put in place some checks and balances.
For instance, he said, a prospective applicant must prove that he or she would return to Nigeria at the right time.
He said the US visa policy in Nigeria was as applicable in other parts of the world.
The PAO advised governments in Nigeria to improve on the poor state of infrastructure in order to engender the growth of the informal sector.