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Nigeria Has No Plans to Acquire Nuclear Weapons From Iran - Defence Chief

Posted on: Monday, 15 August 2005, 12:00 CDT

Text of report by Nigerian private Minaj TV on 15 August

[Presenter] The chief of defence staff, Gen Alexander Ogomudia, at the weekend said the federal government has no immediate or future plan of acquiring any nuclear weapons.

According to him, people tend to misconstrue the visit of a six- man delegation from the Iranian Ministry of Defence to the country recently. He explained that the visit could be regarded as normal visit between any two countries with diplomatic ties.

Gen Ogomudia said this while reacting to allegations that the government may be planning to acquire some nuclear weapons from Iranian government following the recent visit of some Iranian weaponry experts to the country.

[Ogomudia] The visit is just part of diplomacy and I tell you with all sense of responsibility that Nigeria has no plans to acquire any nuclear weapons. We do not have the money to even take care of the waste that will be generated not to talk of the weapons itself. If so, why then do you think Nigeria will bother herself to get nuclear weapons.

[Presenter] He stated, however, that countries were at liberty to acquire weapons of their choice, but stressed that nations in desperate move to lay their hands on weapons of mass destruction must be careful though.

He spoke to newsmen on board the Nigeria Naval Ship Aradu during the pull out ceremony of 15 naval admirals in Lagos.

Source: BBC Monitoring Africa

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