Embassy on Road in Nigeria: Sokoto

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002138

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12598: N/A
TAGS: PREL ECON KISL PGOV SOCI NI
SUBJECT: Embassy on Road in Nigeria: Sokoto



1. (SBU) Summary: On October 12-14, Ambassador and members
of Embassy Public Affairs, Political, Economic and Defense
Cooperation Sections decamped to the far northwestern state
of Sokoto, doing two Iftar dinners, outreach events, and
taking a closer look at education facilities in a region
that suffers from the lowest female literacy rate in
Nigeria. A relatively progressive governor is directing
state funds to education, but reportedly controls access to
the best facilities personally. Meetings with alumni from
both university and high school-level U.S. exchange programs
confirmed the significant positive impact that programs have
for participants and their communities. Local audiences,
including journalists, tended to focus questions on U.S
foreign policy in the Middle East, sharia law, and an
occasional foray into Nigerian Presidential politics. End
Summary.

Sokoto
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2. (U) On October 12-14, the Ambassador accompanied by
Public Affairs, Economic and Political Counselors, and a
number of staff members from each section visited the far
northwestern state of Sokoto. Sokoto played a major role in
Northern Nigerian history, especially as a center of Islamic
tradition and scholarship. It remains the dwelling place of
the Sultan of Sokoto, the traditional and spiritual leader
of Nigerian Muslims. A semi-arid region, the end of the
rainy season found it looking unexpectedly lush. The
governor said rains had been very good this year and the
state was expecting its best harvests in recent memory.

Meetings with the Governor
--------------


3. (U) Ambassador met with Sokoto State Governor Attahiru
Bafawara, now in his second term. One of the more visible
governors for the opposition party, ANPP, he is also a
leading spokesman for the North. He is considered one of
Nigeria's better governors, a supporter of more fiscal
transparency, and a champion of education. He told the
Ambassador that he was not interested in seeking a third
term; eight years should be enough to accomplish a program.
He felt progress had been made in the state, saying the
problem was not a lack of resources, but proper management
of resources. He said with pride that he had created a
contingency fund of 30 million Naira to deal with unexpected
expenses. On the future of the ANPP, He said Bhari had not
indicated whther he would be a candidate for President and
he felt the current leadership had failed to develop the
party and it was losing relevance. After the meeting, a
member of the Office of Defense Cooperation did a brief
presentation for the Governor and State Council on ODC
programs.


4. (SBU) In a less-formal setting the previous evening with
Poloffs, Governor Bafarawa stressed the importance of
President Olusegun Obasanjo stepping down in 2007 without
any attempts to continue his hold on power. Strongly
emphasizing the angst northern Muslims felt towards the
Obasanjo administration, the Governor indicated his belief
that any attempt to change the constitution or otherwise
attempt to stay in power would result in a "crisis" in the
north. He vented about the lack of federal funding for
infrastructure initiatives in his state and elsewhere in the
north, specifically citing the poor road conditions and
minimal federal funding for education and health care.

Boosting Education, For Some
--------------


5. (SBU) Much of the afternoon was spent touring education
facilities being upgraded and expanded under the support of
the governor. The Embassy team toured a boarding school for
both girls and boys equipped with science and computer labs
and generally an impressive range of facilities. The
governor said 120 million Naira had been devoted to the
facility, nearly ten million dollars. It was clearly an
elite institution, and one state worker complained quietly
to one delegation member that the governor personally
decided whose children would be allowed or not allowed to
attend. A similar sense of quality over quantity was present
at the visit to the newly upgraded polytechnic, which was
being equipped with new computer-controlled metal working
equipment. Female literacy in the region is only about 20%,
and many children, especially girls do not attend schools at
all. One cannot help asking whether 20 half-million dollar
village schools would not be a better investment than a 10
million dollar elite boarding school. Still, it was
heartening to see government funds spent on schools, rather
than simply disappear.

Islamic Scholars
--------------


6. (U) Ambassador and country team members met with the
Sultan and members of the Islamic Council to exchange views.
After the Ambassador presented President Bush's Ramadan
greeting, the scholars gently grilled the U.S. team on
foreign policy and the U.S. attitude toward sharia law.
Ambassador reminded the Council that Saddam Hussein had been
no friend of Islam and had persecuted Muslim leaders in
Iraq. Attendees said that sharia applied only to Muslims
and Islam fully respected women as equals. The only women
present at the discussion, however, were those on the
Embassy team. The Embassy team attended Iftars to break
fast on the first night with the governor, whose wife held a
separate event for the women, and on the second night with
the Sultan, where everyone attended a single event.
A Day at the University
--------------

7. (U) Education and Islamic scholarship continued as themes
the next day, spent mainly at the University of Sokoto.
Post Information Resource Officer did a presentation on U.S.
resources for Islamic scholars available on the internet,
and arranged to return for more in-depth training. The team
met with university faculty, which included two female
professors, one of whom had been a Fulbright scholar. A
meeting with alumni of U.S. educational exchanges, including
the YES program for high school students, reaffirmed the
positive impact that these programs have on participants and
their communities. Professors and graduate students had
broadened their horizons, but it was the high school
students who stole the show. Eight-ten students had spent a
year in Iowa, impressed by pizza, computers and snow. Their
most lasting impressions, however, were of a warm and
friendly welcome by Americans, an interest in learning about
Nigeria and a respect for religion. Sought out by neighbors
and schoolmates on return, they were able to provide a
firsthand positive picture about America that overturned
some stereotypes. Further they have formed "peace" clubs to
share some of the ideas they picked up in their time in the
U.S. and to engage in conflict resolution The governor is
funding scholarships for additional students to study
technical subjects in the U.S.

Meet the Press
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8. (U) The Ambassador gave several radio and T.V. interviews
and held a press roundtable during the trip, which received
excellent local coverage. The President's Ramadan message
got wide dissemination, along with U.S. participation in the
Iftars and site visits. The press questions focused mainly
on foreign policy, but there was also interest in what
position the U.S would take in Nigeria's upcoming
presidential elections. Overall the trip considerably raised
the U.S. profile in the state and provided residents with
the chance to hear U.S. positions directly from Americans,
putting many common themes in new perspectives. The
Governor commented several times that this was the first
time a U.S. or western ambassador had paid such an official
visit. CAMPBELL