Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ABUJA2110
2009-11-23 15:08:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abuja
Cable title:  

NIGERIAN NUGGETS -- NOVEMBER 20, 2009

Tags:  PGOV PREL ECON KTIP PHUM PINR NI 
pdf how-to read a cable
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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).


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
--------------


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
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FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
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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