NIGERIA: MISSION HOSTS TWO LIVE POTUS' ACCRA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001306

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: MISSION HOSTS TWO LIVE POTUS' ACCRA
SPEECH EVENTS WITH ROUNDTABLES


1. (U) Summary: Mission Nigeria hosted media, civil society,
and private sector interlocutors simultaneously on July 11 in
Abuja and Lagos to watch a live broadcast of President
Obama's speech in Accra, Ghana. Over 50 total participants
attended the two events, including Ghana Consul General
Sylvester J.K. Parker-Allotey, who also joined the Ambassador
and ConGen for the subsequent roundtable discussion. Both
locations (Abuja and Lagos) also used social media through
Microsoft Communicator for instant messaging with each other
and with Main State in Washington, to facilitate better
communication and the free exchange of ideas during the
event. SMS broadcast services were used to get messages out
before and after the event. End Summary.


2. (U) In the roundtable discussion following POTUS' live
broadcast, several participants at both events opined that
the speech sent a very strong message to Nigeria on electoral
reform, free press, anti-corruption and free and fair
elections. In addition, there were other comments, such as
that by Lagos activist Eneruvie Enakoko of the Civil
Liberties Organization, who expressed disappointment with the
USG's "double standard" and "hard line" approach taken with
various African countries, specifically Zimbabwe and Sudan,
while remaining largely silent on criticism of Nigeria's
shortcomings. However, Enakoko later suggested that the U.S.
must toughen its approach with Nigeria if its politicians are
to get the message, a view also shared by many others
present.


3. (SBU) Peter Eluemunor of Leadership newspaper happily
noted the shift in focus from aid in the form of donations,
to partnership and friendship, while echoing Obama's message
that it was up to Africans to secure a better future for
themselves and their societies as a whole. His outspoken
colleague Emmanuel Iffer applauded Obama for not visiting
Nigeria, which he claimed would have tacitly endorsed the
current Nigerian leadership, and added that "the speech will
send shivers down the backs" of the old guard Nigerian
political elite. Iffer later proposed requiring the children
of top politicians and civil servants to attend Nigerian
schools rather than those abroad to see first-hand the poor
state of education in Nigeria. Abuja-based journalist Mazino
Dickson-Amagada of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)
International, commented that although the President brought
up the U.S. Africa Command, he did not mention where the
headquarters will ultimately be located. One manager from
Channels TV reflected more broadly on what the media is doing
to promote change, and then criticized a majority of the
Nigerian press for being only reactive to events. Responding
to this reflection, another journalist complained that many
media outlets are owned and controlled by political actors
with vested interests in the status quo.


4. (U) Other key themes discussed at both venues were good
governance, electoral reform, youth empowerment,
infrastructure development, and the need for economic
development and diversification of exports, with a focus on
the agricultural sector. Ghanaian CG Parker-Allotey cited
security, diplomacy, and development as the three most
important areas for improvement in African countries. He
also cautioned not to view security through the singular lens
of terrorism, but also food security. Other topics of
discussion included the importance of health programs, a free
press, respect for diversity, conflict in the Niger Delta,
and the negative effects of a "brain drain" of educated and
talented youth leaving Nigeria for better employment
opportunities and social and economic conditions.


5. (U) Comment: President Obama's speech was well-received
and appeared to resonate with many Nigerians who voiced their
frustration with the country's corruption, bad governance,
and lack of transparency, particularly with elections. For
those who criticized Obama's speech or his trip to Ghana, we
believe that below the surface lies the reluctant admission
that Nigeria has a ways to go before it can shine like its
smaller neighbor to the west. To many of the older
participants in the roundtable discussion, the solution rests
on the shoulders of the younger members of the audience, some
of whom chanted Obama's "Yes We Can" mantra at points

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throughout the broadcast. The reality, however, is that
deeply entrenched political and economic interests in the
country's status quo will make this an enormously difficult
struggle for whoever decides to take the first step. End
comment.
SANDERS