NIGERIA: LAGOS STATE ECONOMIC REPORT CARD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 LAGOS 000179 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR GABORONE PASS PDROUIN STATE PASS OPIC FOR DERB, ZHAN, MSTUCKART, JEDWARDS STATE PASS TDA FOR LFITTS, PMARIN STATE PASS USAID FOR NFREEMAN, GBERTOLIN STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER, KJACKSON DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS DOC FOR 3310/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS DOC FOR USPTO-PAUL SALMON DOJ FOR MARIE-FLORE KOUAME TREASURY FOR RHALL, DPETERS, RABDULRAZAK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: LAGOS STATE ECONOMIC REPORT CARD Ref: A.) Lagos 97 B.) 08 Lagos 489 C.) 08 Lagos 486 D.) 08 Lagos 381 E.) 08 Lagos 240 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Post looked at five criteria, infrastructure, economic activities and growth, public services delivery, government leadership and capacity issues in order to give Lagos State Governor Fashola a "report card" on his performance. Governor Fashola has undertaken massive infrastructure development projects, most notably with road construction and rehabilitation, to great accolades and success. Public services delivery on health and education is improving speedily. Given its non-dependence on federal allocation for state budget as it gets 70 percent of its income from internally generated revenue (IGR),Lagos State is pushing aggressively ahead on infrastructure projects despite the financial crisis and economic slow down. Governor Fashola is immensely popular among Lagosians and is considered a shoo-in for re-election for the 2011 gubernatorial election. This report card does not attempt to gloss over the massive problems confronting Lagos State Government and its 16 million population, including dilapidating infrastructure, housing shortage, and congested ports. However, it is intended to document the progresses that have brought hope to Lagosians. End summary. -------------- Infrastructure Development -------------- Lagos Gets a Face-Lift to Attract Investment -------------- ¶2. (U) Lagos State Government's (LASG) infrastructure "beautification project" has transformed Ikoyi and Victoria Islands, the state's commercial centers, giving it a newer and softer image. The successful rehabilitation of two major roads on Ikoyi Island was completed at the end of 2008 with well-lit street lights and flower pots. Solar-powered intersection lights have been placed at key road intersections on these two islands. The recently completed Falomo Clover Leaf Park, a key focal point of the city situated underneath the traffic-logged Falomo Bridge, a major thoroughfare connecting Ikoyi and Victoria Islands, is the pride and joy of LASG. (Comment: Since its commissioning about three months ago, the fenced park is not yet open to the public, and it is unclear if it is intended to be. The face-lift, while a welcome development, cannot mask major issues still undercutting quality of life and thwarting economic development, namely unstable power supply and dilapidating building and bridges, even on the two islands. Dredging is still ongoing behind the Consul General Residence as well as many other places in Lagos despite numerous protests with LASG. End Comment) Lagos State Plans Major Development Projects -------------- ¶3. (U) Despite widespread skepticism, many of Lagos' major development projects have progressed. Dredging for the USD 2.7 billion Eko Atlantic residential and commercial estate project, which requires the reclamation of eight square meters of land from the Atlantic Ocean, has begun. Eko Atlantic is envisioned as the new business center for Victoria Island, with the goal of becoming the Dubai of Nigeria. LASG commissioned in December 2008 a commercial ferry service from Victoria Island to Lekki by the private concessionaire City Link Group. LASG is employing a Canadian-based railway company to consult on two light rail projects for the city. The first rail line will run from Badagary, Nigeria's border town with Benin Republic, to Lagos Central Business District on the Lagos Island's marina, an approximately two hour journey by car between the two points. The second line will run from Lagos to neighboring Ogun State. Plans are also in the pipeline for the construction of private monorails for Lagos Island's marina and on Victoria and Ikoyi islands. LAGOS 00000179 002 OF 004 ¶4. (U) The most visible transportation accomplishment to date is the ongoing rehabilitation of 49.5 kilometer of the Ozumba Mbadiwe Expressway, popularly known as the Lekki Express Way, linking Lekki to Victoria Island. Once completed, the four lane dual carriageway will be expanded to six lanes with a toll plaza. The public private partnership (PPP) project is sponsored by the African Development Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank, and Lagos-based Asset and Resource Management Company under a 30 year concession. (Comment: The construction is moving along at a breakneck speed that is highly unusual for Nigeria, lending further credence to the PPP model for infrastructure development and restoring confidence in the LASG's ability to successfully oversee such a project. End Comment) LASG also has fulfilled its promise to complete the rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge, that connects the three islands to the mainland where the international airport is located, on time, which is almost unheard of for a major infrastructure project in Nigeria. In addition, to date there has not been reports of corruption relating to the project. -------------- Economic Activities and Growth -------------- Lagos Economic Base Solid in Times of Uncertainty -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) Lagos State confidently plows ahead with its ambitious development plan while other states hunker down in the midst of the global credit crunch and economic slow down (Ref B). With a commercially-based economy, Lagos State is considered the only fiscally independent state for its non-dependence on oil derivation and federal allocation for its budget expenditure. Lagos has a solid internally generated revenue (IGR) base, largely deriving from personal income tax collection and value added tax (VAT) and sales tax collections on companies based in the state (Ref D). In 2007, Lagos generated on average Naira 10 billion (USD 65 million) monthly; and IGR constituted around 70 percent of the state's total revenue. Hospitality -------------- ¶6. (U) For now, the expansion of hotel and hotel business shows no signs of slowing down in the heart of Lagos State, namely Victoria and Ikoyi islands and the Lekki Peninsula. The Radisson and Intercontinental Hotels on Victoria Island are near completion after at least three years of being under construction, while construction of other hotels is springing up along the Lekki Expressway and on Ikoyi Island. EconOff has counted at least four other ongoing major hotel projects. Lagos has also attracted a number of new high-end hospitality businesses in the last year, from an American upscale spa to a Nigerian-run luxury cruise boat to a South African-operated yatch hotel. While the hospitality business has catered primarily to business travelers, investors hope that LASG's investment in infrastructure and beautification projects will increase the domestic traveler base and attract travelers from the West African region. (Comment: The cheapest rate for a room at a decent hotel on Ikoyi or Victoria Island starts around $350 per night. However, the growth of the hospitality industry is not sustainable without the development of a service culture, particularly improving the capacity of hotel service at the personnel level. The current economic slow down is also posing serious concerns as demand for hotels and other hospitality services might decline sooner or later. End comment) -------------- Public Services Delivery -------------- LAGOS 00000179 003 OF 004 Health -------------- ¶7. (U) Governor Fashola has instituted major reforms and committed financial resources in the healthand education sectors. The government unfolded an integrated four-year plan for health care in ¶2007. LASG has built five new 100 bed hospitals, several maternal health facilities, a 104-bed Pediatric Center, and a modern medical facility at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital since 2007. It also initiated an e-health project to ensure that patients' medical histories are easily accessible. Governor Fashola has also advised local government chairmen to build and improve primary health care centers and facilities in their councils in order to sustain the State's health care delivery system. In 2008, the Government shut down 200 private hospitals, clinics and laboratories, allegedly for their failure to meet basic standards of hygiene. Education -------------- ¶8. (U) The Fashola Administration has initiated massive infrastructure projects in the state's public school system. In 2008, the state distributed six million naira (USD 40,000) worth of free textbooks to students in primary, junior and senior secondary school. The government constructed 2,500 new prototype classrooms and rehabilitated 1,000 others. Since 2007, 2,000 public school teachers have been trained on instructional usage; 1,099 on childhood care and development education; 2,400 on leadership skill; and 5,000 on family health education. The Government also re-equipped science laboratories in public schools, and procured equipment for training in new technologies for secondary schools. Utility -------------- ¶9. (U) According to the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment Muiz Banire at a presentation to Lagos businesses in 2008, Lagos State plans to improve investment and services in solid waste management, sewage, highway sanitation, and drainage. Lagos State has signed four Public Private Partnership agreements for sewage treatment plants, including one joint venture between a Nigerian and U.S. company. The state also plans to build three integrated waste management facilities while boosting investment in "waste to wealth" programs that convert waste into valuable resources, such as fertilizer. (Note: EarthCare Nigeria Ltd. (ENL),a U.S. joint venture, operates a solid waste-to-organic fertilizers treatment plant with a Bank Guarantee provided by LASG. ENL was under dispute with LASG on its failure to honor the Bank Guarantee that would allow the company to sell its products to farm cooperatives. LASG finally released ENL from the contract, allowing the company to sell to the general public. (Ref A) End note) -------------- Government Leadership and Capacity -------------- Governor Fashola as Agent of Change -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Governor Fashola, a member of the Action Congress Party, is immensely popular among Lagosians for the transformational changes he has brought to the state. People describe him as a highly competent technocrat and an agent of change. (Comment: It is common knowledge that former Governor Tinubu runs the political show behind the scene. Governor Fashola, hand-picked by Tinubu to run in the 2007 election, purportedly is content with leaving the politics to his benefactor while focusing on actualizing real changes. End comment) In a conversation with EconOff on November 25, 2008, Ben Akabueze, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, said Lagos LAGOS 00000179 004 OF 004 State Government is the only state with a sitting Commissioner, namely himself, who was not born in the state. Akabueze said Governor Fashola's appointment of a non-Lagosian to a key position exemplifies his prioritization of skill and competency over ethnic and tribal affiliation. For these reasons, Fashola is instilling a great deal of confidence among his populace and is considered a shoo-in for re-election in the 2011 gubernatorial election. Local Government is the Weakest Link -------------- ¶11. (U) Olayemi Cardoso, Chairman of Hermes Capital Ltd. as well as of an NGO working in local government capacity building issues, told EconOff March 2 that local government management is the weakest link in Lagos State Government. While this problem is not unique to Lagos State, the lack of human and technical capacity at the local government level presents a real challenge for the state. In his work with capacity building at the local government level, Cardoso noted that most local government leaders were handpicked by the AC party from the local community, receiving very little training and support from the state-level party cadre. ¶12. (U) Comment: While Lagos State has always enjoyed the unique advantage being a littoral state and the commercial hub of Nigeria, the stellar performance of Governor Fashola and his administration cannot be discounted. Infrastructure and social services have undoubtedly improved, and Lagos State's major face lift has made the state more people and business friendly. Lagosians are marveling at the newly rehabilitated roads and relative decrease in traffic congestion brought about by an increasingly rationalized road structure. However, the enormous tasks and challenges of rebuilding dilapidated infrastructure, providing housing and social services to the state's estimated 16 million populace, and building capacity at the local government level remain as real today for the Fashola Administration as its has for previous Lagos administrations. End comment. ¶13. (U) This cable was cleared with Embassy Abuja. Blair