NIGERIA: LABOR UNIONS AND ANTI-CORRUPTION NGOS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000265 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL, AF/W BAGHDAD FOR DUNDAS MCCULLOUGH PLEASE PASS USTR FOR AGAMA DOL FOR ILAB DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS TREASURY FOR DAN PETERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2018 TAGS: PGOV ELAB PREL PHUM ENRG ASEC NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: LABOR UNIONS AND ANTI-CORRUPTION NGOS PAINT GRIM PICTURE Classified By: Political Counselor Walter N.S. Pflaumer for reasons 1.4 (b & d). ¶1. (C) Summary: PolOffs from U.S. Mission Nigeria met with labor union representatives and anti-corruption NGOs in the Lagos area January 14-15. The NGOs were unanimously critical of the GON's leadership and warned that, if the GON continues to ignore their issues, they foresee a dramatic negative impact on the country's political and economic stability. In addition, representatives from Nigeria's most powerful unions in the petroleum sector praised the USG for its continued attention to and support for the unions as important partners in democracy. End Summary. Labor Unions Detail Mistreatment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (C) The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN),Nigeria's two most influential unions praised PolOffs for their attention to Nigerian labor issues, which they said has been very useful in sorting out some of their misunderstandings in the past with American oil companies. The group also warned PolOffs on January 14 that the lack of support from the GON on matters of security, wages, and job stability is fostering widespread discontent and creating conditions that are creeping toward future protests and strikes. PENGASSAN General Secretary Bayo Olowoshile specifically pointed out that the lack of security combined with casualization of the work force and the use of labor contractors "make the people in the Niger Delta feel used and vulnerable to discrimination, and as a result, contribute to the antagonism toward the government and multinational oil companies." Olowoshile also blames the lack of GON leadership, which should "include the unions and workers as stakeholders in a larger effort to identify and resolve the economic problems faced by communities in the Delta region." ¶3. (C) Like Olowoshile, NUPENG General Secretary Elijah Okougbo appreciated the support of U.S. Mission Nigeria to "listen to the struggles they face." Okougbo also told PolOffs on January 14 that he believes that GON leadership should also implement existing laws on casualization and anti-discrimination, which, he claimed, "are completely unadhered to and result in widespread discrimination toward Nigerians in favor of expatriates." Both Olowoshile and Okougbo told PolOffs that, for Nigerian economic development to succeed and be sustainable, Nigerians should be trained for both blue and white collar petroleum industry jobs, noting that expatriate staff eventually leave the country and take with them their knowledge and experience. Anti-Corruption NGOs on Public Awareness - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (C) On January 15, PolOffs also met with two anti-corruption NGOs which have been publicly critical of the GON's lack of concrete progress in its anti-corruption efforts. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) Executive Director Adetokunbo Mumuni told PolOffs that the full and effective prosecution of high-level government officials, which includes former governors, "will be a test case for the fight against corruption in the country." Mumuni intimated that currently the EFCC is failing this test and that the issue of corruption has been "de-prioritized" by the GON. With regard to its own anti-corruption efforts, SERAP leaders boasted of their success in persuading the ICPC to investigate corruption in schools and of SERAP's success with educational and awareness campaigns, which they claim have inspired people to speak out against specific cases of corruption in their own ABUJA 00000265 002 OF 002 communities. (Note: SERAP has also been successful in securing competitive grant funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Open Society Institute, and the National Endowment for Democracy. End Note.) ¶5. (C) Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) Chairman Debo Adeniran told PolOffs that CACOL's mission is to "Name, nail, shame, and shun corrupt leaders anywhere and everywhere." Adeniran described his organization's awareness campaigns to draw out public leaders, such as CACOL's July 2008 peaceful demonstration, which mobilized more than 300 activists to protest corrupt members of the Osun State House of Assembly. The protest received national media attention after resulting in his and other CACOL representatives' harassment, arrest, and interrogation. Adeniran also described his anti-corruption petitions to the EFCC and ICPC; he noted, in particular, his petition to the EFCC against former President Olusegun Obasanjo in November 2007, which included allegations of misappropriated funds, illegal profiting from oil sales, power contract scandals, and the use of public funds to finance his private presidential library. When the EFCC reported in October 2008 that the petition "disappeared," CACOL mobilized its members and those of other civil society organizations to march through the streets of Ikoyi to deliver another copy of the petition. Adeniran expressed dissatisfaction that he has heard nothing since, but was optimistic with the awareness-raising momentum his organization is gathering as a result of these efforts. ¶6. (C) Comment: As Nigerians grapple with what they perceive as an increasingly unstable global economic crisis, high unemployment, corruption, and the weak and ineffective leadership of their ailing president, Nigeria's unions and NGOs are among the first to vocalize the growing discontent among the poor and vulnerable. PENGASSAN and NUPENG have historically chosen to stay out of national-level political action unless their constituents' jobs in the oil sector were directly affected. That said, however, the growing frustration of their members may push these powerful oil sector unions into national action. While less significant, the NGOs will also likely continue to make their voices heard this year. The impact of this resistance is, nonetheless, likely to be little more than a distraction for the preoccupied GON. End Comment. ¶7. (U) This cable coordinated with Consulate Lagos. SANDERS