NIGERIA: CONSULATE GENERAL SENIOR STAFF OFFSITE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000488 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT APER SCUL EAGR PGOV NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: CONSULATE GENERAL SENIOR STAFF OFFSITE AND VISIT TO IBADAN UNIVERSITY ¶1. (U) Summary: The Consul General and Consulate senior staff held an off-site at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA),in Ibadan, Oyo State November 6-8. The Consul General and staff toured the University of Ibadan and met with university's Vice Chancellor. The Vice Chancellor expressed his gratitude for the institution's partnership with The MacArthur Foundation and explained plans to use a recent USD 4 million grant to more than triple enrollment in distance learning courses. He also noted an imminent shortage of professors in Nigerian universities. At the off-site, the senior staff discussed a variety of issues facing the Consulate and developed plans to improve ELO training, conduct a table top exercise to improve staff readiness and cohesion, seek FSI training opportunities at Post, and develop a recruiting video. The Ambassador presented her Team Nigeria vision and mission and the Consul General hosted a reception for Ibadan area contacts including the head of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, local traditional rulers, and American Citizen Services wardens. End Summary. University of Ibadan Expands Distance Learning -------------- - ¶2. (U) The Lagos Senior Staff, consisting of the Consul General, section heads, and the heads of the DEA, LEGATT, FCS, and FAS met at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan November 6-8 to for a staff off-site and representation event. Prior to arriving at IITA, the Consul General and staff toured the University of Ibadan, Nigeria's oldest Federal University and the crown jewel of the nation's university system. The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academics Adigun Agbaje gave the staff a presentation on the history and current plans of the university and lead them on a tour of the university campus, bookstore, and the university's new radio station. (Note: The university was filled with new students and their families attending matriculation ceremonies. End Note.) ¶3. (U) The group then met with University of Ibadan's Vice Chancellor, Professor Olufemi Bamiro. Professor Bamiro praised his university's connections with the United States. He explained the university recently received a USD 4 million MacArthur Foundation award to expand academic and research programs. The university will use the money to expand its accredited distance learning program from 7,000 to 25,000 students by 2010. In addition, the university will use some of the money to equip its central research laboratory and improve staff training. As of January 2008, the MacArthur Foundation has provided more than USD 12.6 million to the university since 1989. ¶4. (U) According to the Vice Chancellor, the university, like all federal universities, will face a shortage of professors over the next few years because Nigerian law requires public servants, including professors, to retire at sixty years of age. Younger PhDs are scarce as the number of doctorates awarded in the 1980's and 1990's dropped significantly due to neglect of the nation's university system, while more recent PhD candidates are seeking employment in Nigeria's booming banking and telecom industries. The Vice Chancellor said he and other federal university leaders are asking for an exemption to the age 60 rule for university professors. Retreat Focuses on Challenges, Opportunities -------------- ¶5. (U) The senior staff then met at IITA for a day and a half of discussions. The Ambassador joined the group at the opening session to present her vision for Team Nigeria. She shared a proposed branding strategy that will better identify USG-sponsored activities and unveiled a public diplomacy document that will detail the USG's participation in the US-Nigeria Framework for Partnership. ¶6. (U) Over the next day, the senior staff discussed a variety of challenges and opportunities facing the Consulate General. Topics included resource constraints, entry level officer (ELO) training and development, general training for the Consulate, improving communication between sections and agencies, the challenges to living in Lagos, and staffing limitations. The senior staff came away with several takeaways including: preliminary plans for increasing ELO participation in Consulate events and improved ELO training; a table top exercise to improve Consulate cohesion and crisis readiness; plans to request additional FSI training at Post; revamped section and agency briefing for newcomers; and an ELO-led Post recruiting on-line video to attract and better inform interested bidders, and for use in the Overseas Briefing Center. LAGOS 00000488 002 OF 002 ¶7. (U) On the evening of November 6, the Consul General hosted a reception and informal dinner for prominent members of the local community including traditional ruler, Prince Gbola Adeyisan, Professor Gabriel Ogunmola, the head of the Nigerian Academy of Science, and Karen Ann Nwulu, director of the American Christian Academy and one of two ACS Wardens in Ibadan. Professor Ogunmola made brief remarks in which he recounted his experiences in the United States on a Fulbright scholarship. He urged the USG to continue its policy of encouraging young people to study in the United States. ¶8. (U) Several members of the senior staff took the opportunity to tour the IITA research facilities. Agriculture experts provided detailed explanations of their work in breeding disease resistant strains of subsistence crops such as cassava. Additionally, retired FSO Nic Robinson, a former USIA officer and long time West Africa hand, joined the group on November 7 to discuss the changes he has seen in Nigeria over the decades. On November 8, Sam Eyitayo of the Abuja Public Affairs Section gave a presentation on the use of RRS feeds to improve news gathering skills. ¶9. (U) Comment: The Consulate senior staff found the opportunity to get away from the day to day routine of the Consulate and the chaos of the city of Lagos invaluable. We look forward to implementing the ideas that were generated during the discussions. The University of Ibadan looked significantly cleaner and better maintained than during a previous visit by the Consul General earlier in the year. There is an obvious energy on the campus and while they acknowledge the problems that confront them and Nigeria, the optimism among the students and staff about the future is a refreshing change from the litany of complaints one often hears from contacts in Lagos. End Comment ¶10. (U) This cable cleared by Embassy Abuja. BLAIR