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GR 400 CYPHER CAT A FM LAGOS 311035Z MAY RESTRICTED TO IMMEDIATE FCO TEL NO 478 OF 31.5.77." ' INFO ROUTINE ODM, BONN, PARIS, OTTAWA AND WASHINGTON. •• TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO AND COOPERATION WITH NIGERIA. THE CHIEF OF STAFF, BRIG YAR'ADUA, SENT FOR HE TODAY. HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS PART OF AN APPROACH HE WAS MAKING TO "FRIENDLY ADVANCED COUNTRIES" TO ASK FOR HELP I J K F I L U N 6 NlftFAJ FOR TECHNICIANS. 2 . NIGERIA NEEDED 30,000 SKILLED TECHNICIANS IN THE CIVIL ENGIN- EERING FIELD ALONE AND THE TOTAL REQUIRED WAS WELL OVER 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 . IT WAS THE FEDERAL GovT'S INTENTION TO EMBARK ON A CRASH PROGRAMME THIS AIMED TO RECRUIT PRACTICAL TECHNICIANS, TEACHERS FROM ABROAD FOR NIGERIAN COLLEGES OF TECHNOLOGY AND TO TRAIN NIGERIANS IN LARGE NUMBERS ABROAD. 3 . YAR'ADUA SAID THAT HE WAS PUTTING FORWARD THIS IDEA IN THE HOPE THAT WE WOULD AGREE TO HELP IN PRINCIPLE. WHEN WE HAD TIME TO DIGEST IT HE WOULD LIKE TO SEND A HIGH-POWERED DELEGATION TO LONDON TO DISCUSS DETAILS. IN ADDITION TO. SPEAKING OF TECHNIC- IANS, HE ALSO MENTIONED NlGERJA'S DEFECIENCIES IN THE MEDICAL FIELD, WITH A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON NURSES. IN REPLY TO A QUESTION, HE SAID THAT THE DELEGATION TO THE CHGM WOULD RAISE THIS MATTER, 4 . THIS APPROACH FITS IN WITH THE REQUESTS I HAVE RECEIVED FROM STATE GOVTS DURING MY TOURS. THESE TEND TO BE, LIKE YAR'ADUA '$ SOMEWHAT VAGUE AND UNSpECIFIC. HOWEVER THEY ALL HAVE ONE CLEAR FACTOR IN COMMONi NIGERIA IS DESPERATELY SHORT OF TEACHERS, TECHNICIANS, AND TRAINED PERSONNEL IN EVERY FIELD. THEY WANT HELP FROM THE DEVELOPED WORLD AND REGARD US AS A PROMISING SOURCE OF HELP, STRESSING CONTINUALLY OUR LONG EXPERIENCE IN NIGERIA. . RESTRICTED - /5.