TRIP REPORT: AKWA IBOM INVESTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 LAGOS 000199

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

ZAGREB FOR AMBASSADOR BRADTKE
WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK
CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR
ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH
SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON
DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY
TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS
COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS
STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR FLISER
STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD
STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART
STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER
STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV NI
SUBJECT: TRIP REPORT: AKWA IBOM INVESTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE,
PDP CHAIRMAN PUSHES DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

REF: LAGOS 22

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Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne for Reason 1.4 (B) and (D
).


1. (SBU) Summary. Akwa Ibom, an oil-producing state in the
Niger Delta, is building an airport, an independent power
plant, underground water channels, and a tourism sector to
develop the state and attract private investment. The
People's Democratic Party politically dominates Akwa Ibom.
PDP state Chairman Otu Ita Toyo claimed to have conducted a
transparent, democratic gubernatorial primary. On January
30, the Speaker of the House Assembly told Poloff the state's
legislative branch needed more autonomy from the governor.
An NGO decried rampant human rights violations in the jails
of the state. End Summary.

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AKWA IBOM INVESTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE TO SPUR DEVELOPMENT
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2. (SBU) Governor Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State has
undertaken numerous development projects, most beginning the
last of his eight years in office, the Secretary to the State
Government (SSG),Esang Efiong, told Poloff on January 29.
U.S. company DynCorp is constructing an airport in Uyo, the
state capital; the airport's first terminal is slated to open
in April. This airport will be competitive with others in
southern Nigeria because it will be the first with a
maintenance hangar, Efiong said. Other development projects
include underground channels to bring water into Uyo as well
as an independent power project (IPP). The IPP is expected
to supply the state with uninterrupted power by May 29. The
plant will supply 70 megawatts of dedicated power to Akwa
Ibom, and a surplus 115 megawatts to the national grid.
Efiong was confident the IPP would improve development and
the state's economy.


3. (SBU) Additionally, the opening of a five star beachside
resort with golf course is slated to occur in February and
will primarily cater to expatriate oil workers from Bonny
Island and Port Harcourt. This resort will be managed by the
French-owned Meridian Accor. (Comment: This project likely
has raised more than a few eyebrows locally. Spending on a
luxury resort when most citizens struggle for the basics
seems incongruous. Also, given the turmoil in the Niger
Delta, there are fewer expatriate oil workers to serve as a
pool of clients and fewer of those workers will be likely to
leave the security of their compounds to traipse around a
golf course elsewhere in the Delta. End Comment.)


4. (SBU) Director General Celestine Okpokpong of the Akwa
Ibom Investment Industrial Promotion Council (AKIIPOC) under
the Office of the Governor, told Poloff January 31 the
state's efforts to attract private investment first focused
on developing infrastructure. The Independent Power Plant
(IPP) currently under construction will improve the state's
investment climate. The IPP is the only project in the state
not driven by the private sector; he said the state hopes
eventually to privatize it. Okpokpong also said Akwa Ibom is
heavily investing in road infrastructure.

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5. (SBU) Approximately USD 67.5 million has been invested in
the CelTel communication network which now provides mobile
phone service to 90 percent of Akwa Ibom, Okpokpong proudly
announced. A private venture refinery to add value to
state-produced oil has been negotiated with a German partner.


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PDP CANDIDATE IS DELEGATES' CHOICE
--------------


6. (C) Otu Ita Toyo, Chairman of the Akwa Ibom People's
Democratic Party (PDP),told Poloff on January 30, he has
made decisions, sometimes unpopular within government and
with party members, to bring a more democratic process to the
state party. Toyo described himself as a "total chairman"
seeking to remind politicians and party members that
political leaders have to be held accountable to their
constituents. Obong Godswill Akpabio, former Commissioner of
Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under Governor Attah
and former Director of Corporate Affairs for a wireless
Nigerian telecommunications company, won the highest number
of votes during the primary elections. However, "big men"
such as Governor Attah and his son-in-law, Udoma Ekarika, who
expected Ekarika to win, contested the announcement. They
argued a consensus candidate should be announced because
Akpabio did not win over 50 percent of the votes cast and he
hails from the same senatorial zone as Governor Attah. (Ref)
(Note: After some debate between national and state PDP, the
45 year old Akpabio was accepted by the National PDP as the
party's gubernatorial candidate in Akwa Ibom and subsequently
received Governor Attah's public blessing. End Note.)


7. (C) Toyo said he was proud to have conducted a democratic
convention; whether the elected candidate is supported by the
party's big wigs is a different matter. He lamented Nigeria
does not yet have the political culture to produce leaders
focused on development. Toyo commented "oil has made
everybody lazy." However, he was also confident young
Nigerians would be able to force change once they chose to
take charge of their futures.


8. (C) Toyo commented that the PDP is not perfect, but is
the best of the available political parties. Toyo is unaware
of any political party with the organizational strength or
political platforms to rival those of the PDP. The
splintering of PDP members that resulted in the Action
Congress (AC) is merely a power struggle, he said, rather
than a vehicle for change. A former labor union activist,
Toyo conceded the labor party could match the quality of the
PDP's platform, but not its organizational strength.

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HOUSE SPEAKER WANTS FINANCIAL AUTONOMY AND LESS TURNOVER
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9. (SBU) The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House Assembly,
Nelson Efiong, told Poloff on January 30 that the legislative
and judicial branches need financial independence from the
state executive. The House's dependence on the Governor for

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funding limits legislative freedom, he said. Efiong
estimated 50 percent of the bills passed by the House are
initiated internally while 50 percent come from the
executive. High turnover is one of the greatest challenges
facing House members, Efiong related. This is partly due to
constituencies viewing assemblymen as self-serving
representatives and partly due to high turnover within the
PDP.

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NGO DECRIES HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
--------------


10. (SBU) Nsikak Ibanga, a lawyer with the Institute of
Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL),told Poloff on
January 30 the Niger Delta is rife with human rights
violations. Conflict among the oil companies, government,
and communities is the cause of these violations, Ibanga
chided. Oil production has polluted the environment and when
communities request assistance from oil companies, the
military and police are brought in.


11. (SBU) The trial system and prisons are deplorable.
Individuals arrested on petty theft charges can be imprisoned
for years without trial, Ibanga said. He was exasperated by
the number of falsely accused still in prison. While IHRHL
aids individuals who cannot afford legal representation,
there are simply not enough attorneys to handle the cases
awaiting trial, Ibanga said. Even if one can obtain legal
counsel, bail is not only expensive but requires documents
such as proof of residence and proof of landed property,
which many defendants do not have, he lamented.


12. (SBU) Ibanga described many Nigerians as being
disillusioned with the elections and voter registration. He
believes many Nigerians would not have bothered to register
if the government had not required voter cards as a
precondition to receive salaries and access bank accounts.

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COMMENT
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13. (SBU) Akwa Ibom appears to have made some headway in
developing infrastructure and attracting private investment,
albeit during the twilight of Governor Attah's tenure. The
PDP Chairman's efforts to conduct an open vote to determine
the gubernatorial candidate has been more the exception that
the rule for the PDP and other parties as well. With the PDP
facing no apparent opposition in the state, it would seem
that the PDP gubernatorial candidate will win and that the
party can expect to carry the state in the presidential
election. However, outgoing Governor Attah fumed after
having been pressured to withdraw from the presidential
primary at the last minute. His wound suppurated when his
son-in-law was denied the gubernatorial nod. A long-time
ally of Action Congress presidential candidate Vice President
Atiku, Attah could conceivably toss his influence toward the
AC at the last minute. While he has been wounded, Attah
still has considerable pull. If he goes for this switch, he
could make the race in Akwa Ibom a dramatic one. End Comment.

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BROWNE