DEVELOPMENT DIFFICULTIES IN THE NIGER DELTA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000061 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PASS TO AMEMBASSY MALABO E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/16 TAGS: ECON PGOV KCOR SENV NI SUBJECT: DEVELOPMENT DIFFICULTIES IN THE NIGER DELTA CLASSIFIED BY: Blair, Donna, CG, State, Lagos; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) The Niger Delta faces significant development challenges as illustrated by nine projects in Delta and Bayelsa States visited by PolOff January 20 and 21. Difficult topography, ethnic rivalry, endemic corruption, under-development of human capacity, and a comprehensive lack of maintenance all undermine sustainability. END SUMMARY. -------------- BUILDING ON SAND -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The oil-rich Niger Delta is essentially a large mangrove swamp with sandy soil and high water levels. Construction in this environment requires draining swamps and building solid foundations. For example, Niger Delta Wetlands Centre Executive Director Dr. Miriam Isoun told PolOff January 20 that it took the NGO eight years using its limited resources to drain off the land for their headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, and build up sufficient foundations for the construction of one to two-story buildings. ¶3. (U) Across the Delta, roads must be raised and require chains of bridges to traverse the network of rivers and good surface drainage to cope with tropical deluges. These requirements greatly increase the costs of construction and the know-how needed for infrastructure projects. ¶4. (U) Wells must be deep because digging to the water-level only results in wells which offer brackish, polluted water. PolOff was shown three wells in different communities that had been dug too shallowly and so represented a health hazard rather than a benefit to the communities. According to Isoun, quality drinking water in the Niger Delta is generally not found at less than five hundred feet and a geological survey is required for each projected well site to determine the optimal depth for reaching potable water. -------------- JEALOUSY IMPEDES DEVELOPMENT -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Niger Delta is inhabited by a patchwork of ethnic groups including Ijaws, Isekiri, Urhobo, Edo, Efik and Ibibio. These have a long history of fighting over resources and development plans for the Niger Delta must take into account the potential for ethnic jealousy and resulting violence. The Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) in consequence has a commissioner from each of the main ethnic groups and, according to the Chairman Chief Okirika, DESOPADEC carefully balances the awarded contracts between the ethnic communities to ensure that each has a number of projects commensurate to the size of their populations. Even so, a project in one community often LAGOS 00000061 002 OF 003 ignites envy from other communities of the same ethnicity. As a result, development projects cannot be undertaken on a purely cost-effective basis but must always take into consideration the potential for violence and vandalism. -------------- WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO? -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Most development contracts are still awarded in non-competitive and opaque processes that benefit contractors with close ties to the awarding authority. This generally funnels money to local businesses, but the lack of transparency in contract management results in "leakages" which reduce the funds actually available for work. Likewise, the opportunities for personal benefit often impact development decisions and planning. Dr. Chris Ekiyor said that DESOPADEC endeavors to do real work in rural communities and respond to local requests. Nevertheless, most of the projects benefit first and foremost the traditional ruler, the Local Government Area chairman, or other "big men." Isoun claimed that solar-powered bore-holes are unpopular because the solar panels power underground pumps that produce water only. This is because communities prefer generator-powered bore-holes where the electricity can be siphoned off to run TVs and other electric appliances in the near-by houses of the village elite. -------------- -- UNDERDEVELOPED HUMAN RESOURCES HURT DEVELOPMENT -------------- -- ¶7. (SBU) The inhabitants of the Niger Delta do not have universal access to education and the quality of schools and teachers is uneven. PolOff visited four schools and noted that many school structures are dilapidated with leaking roofs, crumbling walls, insufficient desks and benches, no electricity, no window panes, and, often, no sanitary facilities. PolOff visited a community that had applied for a grant to dig a 90-foot bore-hole powered by electricity to provide drinking water. There has been no geological survey of the site and no indication that sweet, drinkable water will be found at 90 feet. In all probability, this well will be a waste of money just like the last bore-hole completed in 2007 which was also too shallow at roughly 20 feet and produced contaminated water. ¶8. (SBU) Another consequence of the low quality of education is the low quality of contract work. Local contractors are preferred in building, but the results are monuments to the inability of these firms to work to international standards. PolOff noted, for example, that one brand new, not-yet-commissioned school structure had steps that were severely uneven because the contractor evidently did not know how to build (or did not see the need for) even steps; the steps represented a safety hazard to students. -------------- SUSTAINABILITY -------------- LAGOS 00000061 003 OF 003 ¶9. (SBU) Even structures and facilities designed to be "low-maintenance" can rapidly become worthless if vandalized, neglected, or left unrepaired when minor damage occurs. At a ceremony to mark the opening of a solar powered bore-hole in Kaiama, Bayelsa State, Isoun appealed to the traditional ruler to ensure that this very expensive, state-of-the-art equipment was properly respected and looked after. Isoun claimed that the solar powered installation was very low-maintenance and that the photovoltaic cells could last over twenty years, the pumps could last 15 years and the tank could last even longer. However, the pump would be overworked and would break down in a short period of time if minor problems with wiring, leakages, worn-out gaskets on the taps, etc. were not addressed immediately. She also pointed out the limitations of the new borehole, appealing to the inhabitants through the traditional ruler to use the water as intended (for drinking),because the capacity of the tank was insufficient to serve all the needs of the community. Over-use, she warned, could also lead to a breakdown. The truth of her words was underlined by the over-grown and collapsing structure of earlier boreholes in the immediate vicinity. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (C) The technological solutions to the Delta's problems are well-established and billions of dollars have been allocated to the development of the region since the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta. Thus, neither technological nor financial restraints are to blame for the region's under-development. Instead, inadequate planning, inappropriate or the complete absence of design, and incompetent execution have littered the landscape with abandoned development projects that were either never delivered as intended or rapidly fell into disrepair and disuse. Money has effectively been re-invested in the same projects - whether it is roads, bore-holes, or schools - over and over again. One key to sustainable development is human capital development to: 1) ensure that investments are made in a transparent and accountable manner to contractors with proven competence; 2) improve the quality of craftsmanship of local contractors, and 3) educate communities on the fundamentals of maintenance and repair. END COMMENT. ¶11. (U) ConGen Lagos coordinated this cable with Embassy Abuja. BLAIR