Nigeria hostile to Ali mission

Press, 8 February 1980, Page 5

Nigeria hostile to Ali mission

NZPA-Reuter Lagos President Carter’s outspoken envoy Muhammad Ali will meet Nigerian sports officials today after a cool reception in Lagos for his crusade to gather African .support for a planned American boycott of the Moscow Olympics. The Government-owned “New Nigerian” newspaper carried a front-page article yesterday headed, “Ali’s foolish mission.” "But for our traditional hospitality, it would have been proper that his plane be allowed to land only for refuelling purposes,” the article said.

Lagos Radio said students demonstrated against the visit outside the United States Embassy in Lagos. Ali, whose trip has already taken him to Tanzania and Kenya, said on arrival that he would tell President Carter that if the United States supported an Olympic boycott it should also cut its ties with South Africa.

Clearly conscious of Nigeria’s strong stand against South African apartheid, he said: “The number one fight with me is not Russia, it is South Afria. South Africa is a bigger problem for us black people.” Earlier, in Nairobi, Ali Sledged to devote the rest of is life to crusading aganst white-ruled South Africa and campaigning on behalf of all oppressed peoples.

Ali, who is due to meet Nigeria’s new civilian President (Mr Shehu Shagari) today said he believed Soviet intervention in Afghanistan was a more pressing issue, however, because it could lead to nuclear war.

An American official said he was optimistic about Ali’s mission to Nigeria, black Africa’s most populous and economically powerful nation.

“But we are not expecting countries to come to a decison on Afghanistan based on just this delegation,” he said.