NIGERIAN NUGGETS -- NOVEMBER 20, 2009

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 002110 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL, INR/AA; USAID FOR AFR/WA (DALZOUMA) E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON KTIP PHUM PINR NI SUBJECT: NIGERIAN NUGGETS -- NOVEMBER 20, 2009 REF: ABUJA 1577 Classified By: Political Counselor James P. McAnulty for reasons in Sections 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) Mission Nigeria provides the following compilation of recent political, economic, and social developments not previously reported. -------------- CORRUPT FORMER GOVERNOR -------------- ¶2. (C) Human rights lawyer and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor Festus Keyamo opined to LabOff that the international community should focus more attention on former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili than ex-Delta State Governor James Ibori. He claimed Odili reaped enormous proceeds from corruption, which he used to help start up Arik Airlines and continued to use the company as "his own money laundering service." Keyamo showed LabOff EFCC's detailed list of 147 formal charges against Odili for corruption. He also showed LabOff one of Odili's 2008 bank statements, with an average balance of over five million dollars in his personal bank account. Keyamo admitted that he did not possess more current bank statements nor plans for further investigation or prosecution due to "pressures from above" that forced EFCC Chairperson Farida Waziri to "temporarily cease" her prosecution efforts. -------------- BORNO STATE ENLISTS AUXILIARIES' HELP -------------- ¶3. (U) Borno State government recently donated ten patrol vehicles to "vigilante groups and local hunters." Governor Sheriff told local press that these groups, familiar with the local terrain, would work with security agencies to track down criminals. Sheriff said the auxiliaries would receive feeding allowances and fuel from the government. Borno State Permanent Secretary for Political Affairs, Hayatuddeen Baba Omar, told PolOff November 17 that security remained a primary focus of the state government because of "precarious security threats" in Borno. He said Borno had three porous borders with over 100 illegal routes making it impossible to monitor with conventional security. Omar said the auxiliary groups, which registered their organizations and members, would operate within existing laws and wear uniforms and identity cards. -------------- SOKOTO PROBLEMS -------------- �A;¶4. (C) Special Assistant to the Sultan of Sokoto and brother of the Sultan, Mu'azu S. Abubakar III, told PolOff November 16 that Governor Aliyu Wamakko had spent billions of dollars on roads but done little else to develop Sokoto State. He alleged that the Governor and other politicians had "created monsters out of our kids," recruiting young men known as "area boys" to rally political support and intimidate voters. Abubakar said that once a politician gains election, these gangs of boys roamed the "streets" without income or occupation. Abubakar lamented that Wamakko purchased about 10,000 motorcycles for distribution to alleviate poverty. He would have preferred investment of the money into farming. He claimed to have voiced this opinion to the Governor, who said he would think about the idea but has yet to respond. Qsaid he would think about the idea but has yet to respond. Abubakar claimed Wamakko lacked experience and training to be a good governor, and would face strong opposition to his re-election in 2011. He told PolOff that the Sultan would likely advise the Shehu of Borno against supporting implementation of a preaching board (reftel),as such action would limit freedom of religion and remain vulnerable to political manipulation. -------------- ATIKU "CONFUSED" -------------- ABUJA 00002110 002 OF 003 ¶5. (C) Former Arewa House Director Hamid Bobboyi opined to PolOff November 18 that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar did not really believe in a partnership with former Head of State General Buhari. He alleged that Atiku had become "confused" by a "murky" political environment. Bobboyi said the success of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) mega-party depended on the ability of Atiku and Buhari to unite their followers; recruitment of young voters; strength of the Action Congress (Atiku's political party) in the south; and actions the People's Democratic Party (PDP) may or may not undertake to convince Atiku to return to the party. Bobboyi remarked that the PDP could not afford to lose in the Anambra gubernatorial election in February 2010 and that the real question involved which PDP candidate would become governor. (COMMENT: Through his academic work and position as Arewa House Director, Bobboyi has personal and professional connections to many prominent northern leaders, including former Vice President Atiku and President Yar'Adua. END COMMENT.) -------------- BAYELSA STATE PARTNERS WITH PHCN -------------- ¶6. (U) The Bayelsa State government has partnered with the Power Holding company of Nigeria (PHCN) to provide a customer service, maintenance and repair, and electricity billing system. The state connected to the national grid in 2006 and has paid PHCN for electricity delivered since that time. An outreach program has conducted town hall meetings in each community to provide a better understanding of the metering and billing process. PHCN provided and installed both digital and analog meters under the partnership. Billing began this month for customers without prepaid meters and payments to PHCN will begin in January 2010. -------------- 200 MEDIA PRACTITIONERS TRAINED -------------- ¶7. (U) Public Affairs Section (PAS) staff conducted a media outreach in southwest Nigeria November 16 to 18 as part of our efforts to expand reporting in the run-up to the 2011 Nigerian elections. PAS provided training on effective Internet research techniques and social media to nearly 200 media practitioners at two events in Ekiti and Osun States. The team also addressed more than a thousand inductees at the Oyo State Nation Youth Service Corps (NYSC) training camp to provide Internet training and information on U.S. activities in Nigeria and study opportunities. To our knowledge, this visit marked the first time PAS addressed a NYSC camp, although each of Nigeria's 36 states holds three-week boot camps two or three times annually. Outreach to NYSC inductees has great potential as they involve recent university graduates under the age of 35. The team also met with Osun State NYSC Camp Coordinator to prepare for a visit to that camp during its next session in February 2010. -------------- USAID SEEKS TO IMPROVE LOCAL GOVERNANCE -------------- ¶8. (U) The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Q8. (U) The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a five-year, 40-million-dollar cooperative agreement November 12 with Research Triangle Institute to implement the Mission's new local governance program, "Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy, and Development (LEAD). Through LEAD, which will initially operate in Sokoto and Bauchi states, with the possibility of adding two additional states in later years, USAID will build the capacity of local government councilors and chairpersons, staff, and other selected state government authorities to plan and manage budgets, and to evaluate and improve fiscal and administrative responsibilities. Assistance will also link civil society and the private sector with government officials to enable them to form partnerships to produce more capable governance and improve delivery of public services. Chevron has expressed interest in forming a public-private partnership with USAID to contribute to implementation of LEAD in Delta ABUJA 00002110 003 OF 003 state. -------------- COUNTRY PARTNERSHIP STRATEGY II LAUNCHED -------------- ¶9. (U) USAID Mission Director and Objective Team staff recently hosted 180 participants in Kano for the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) II Launch. Participants represented a wide cross-section of the donor community, government, academia, traditional leaders, and civil society. USAID, the Africa Development Bank, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID),and the World Bank developed the strategy, which reflects the Nigerian Government's development objectives, to ensure greater impact, more effective support, and closer SaQQN\ RHEBAAA RHEHNSC RUEAIIA RUEKDIA RHMFISS RUZEJAA DE RUEHUJA #2111 3271508 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 231508Z NOV 09 FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7552 INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0196 RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0032 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0624 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0481 RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS PRIORITY 2345 RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK PRIORITY B T C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 002111 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA, AF/W, INR/AA E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON KTIP PHUM PINR NI SUBJECT: ECOWAS PRESIDENT STEPPING DOWN FOR POSTING IN BRUSSELS REF: ABUJA 2076 (NOTAL) Classified By: Political Counselor James P. McAnulty for reasons in Sections 1.4. (b) and (d). -------------- CHAMBAS TO LEAVE FOR ACP POST -------------- ¶1. (U) Nigerian Foreign Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe opened the Sixty-Third Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Ministers Meeting in Abuja November 20 by announcing that the Council of Ministers of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP) selected ECOWAS President Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas as the ACP's new Secretary General in Brussels. Chambas will step down as ECOWAS President in the first quarter of 2010 to assume his new position by March 1. -------------- NO DEFINITIVE WORD ON SUCCESSOR -------------- ¶2. (C) Neither Foreign Minister Maduekwe nor anyone at the ECOWAS Secretariat indicated who would replace Dr. Chambas. European Commission diplomat Tim Baines told PolMilOff November 19 that ECOWAS would announce Chambas' successor at the December 21 ECOWAS Heads of State Meeting in Abuja. The Swedish Charge d'Affaires and a French PolOff speculated the previous day to PolMilOff that current ECOWAS Vice President Jean de Dieu Somda would most likely replace Ghanaian-born Chambas as interim ECOWAS President until the end of 2010. They remarked that another, but less likely, choice would be an individual from Burkina Faso. If this scenario materialized, Somda would need to step down, as the ECOWAS President and Vice President must come from different countries. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶3. (C) Today's announcement confirms information passed to us by ECOWAS Peace and Security Commissioner Colonel Mahamane Toure about a likely change at the top of ECOWAS (reftel). We have heard from knowledgeable contacts that the new ECOWAS President would likely come from a Francophone country. We will monitor and report any news regarding a successor. SANDERS