SULTAN PLEDGES TO TARGET POLIO, HIV/AIDS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000270 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINR KISL NI SUBJECT: SULTAN PLEDGES TO TARGET POLIO, HIV/AIDS, ANTI-AMERICANISM Classified By: Ambassador John Campbell for Reasons 1.4 (b & d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Ambassador paid a February 4 courtesy call on the newly appointed Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammadu Sa'ad Abubakar. The Sultan praised USG efforts to reach out to the Muslim community in northern Nigeria and pledged to use his time in office to call on Muslims to combat the spread of polio, HIV/AIDS, Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF),and mounting anti-Americanism. A former Major General in the elite Armored Corps division, Sultan Abubakar welcomed increased contact with Embassy Abuja and reproached Muslims who engage in dissemination of "disinformation" of the U.S., sowing the seeds of anti-Americanism in Nigeria. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) The Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, accompanied by his Senior Counselors, lauded the USG for its outreach to the Muslim community throughout northern Nigeria, noting that American assistance to the health and education sectors aids in improving America's image among Muslims. He remarked that a "disinformation and misinformation" campaign launched by individuals (i.e., preachers, mallams) and which alleges American antipathy towards Muslims could anathematize Nigerian Muslims towards the U.S., effectively impeding much needed dialogue and greater humanitarian assistance. Moreover, Sultan Abubakar promised to use his office to advance awareness of the need for polio immunization, prevention and education of HIV/AIDS, and de-stigmatization of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF). ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Sultan Mohammadu Sa'ad Abubakar (b. 1953) is the 20th Sultan of Sokoto and Head of the Nigerian National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. Son of the 17th Sultan Siddiq Abu Bakar dan Usman and brother of the 19th Sultan Mohammadu Maccido, Abubakar has spent 31 years outside Nigeria, serving in the elite Armored Corps. He received his military training in Nigeria (Kaduna),India, and Canada. After commanding a battalion of African peacekeepers in Chad, Abubakar headed a presidential security unit guarding Head of State General Ibrahim Babangida. Later, he served in ECOWAS' peacekeeping force to Sierra Leone and, most recently, as Defense Attache to Pakistan with concurrent accreditation to Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. Immediately prior to his appointment as Sultan, Abubakar completed a 9-month conflict mitigation course at the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. ¶4. (C) COMMENT CONT'D: The Sultan of Sokoto stands as the most important traditional ruler in Nigeria, whose function is primarily religious and who is considered the spiritual leader of Nigeria's 70 million Muslims. The late Sultan, Muhammadu Maccido, was praised for his work in bringing together disparate elements of the Muslim, Christian, and other communities in Nigeria. Sultan Abubakar doubtless will continue efforts at bridging understanding between these groups, having served in some of the world's most crisis-prone hotspots. END COMMENT. CAMPBELL