This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001548 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
PASS TO USAID AFR/ACTING AA DICKSON-HORTON 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD EAID BEXP NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON MINISTER OF 
  AGRICULTURE -- A CALL FOR A MORE TARGETED AGRICULTURAL 
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 
 
----------- 
SUMMARY 
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¶1.  Ambassador Jeter met June 26 with Minister of Agriculture 
Bello for a discussion of U.S.-Nigeria relations in the 
agriculture sector.   USAID Country Director provided a 
thorough brief on the range of USG agricultural assistance 
programs.  Minister Bello thought USG efforts were 
under-funded, too broad in their scope, and undefined in 
expectations.  Ambassador Jeter stressed the need for 
capacity-building resulting from two decades of policy and 
resource neglect.  Ministry Directors addressed their needs 
within the limited framework (biotech, vaccines and extension 
services) for USG assistance as outlined by President 
Obasanjo during his recent visit to Washington.  USAID agreed 
to consider programs addressing those needs.  Minister Bello 
asserted that certain trade restrictions were necessary and 
would continue for now.  End Summary. 
 
 
¶2.  (U) Ambassador Jeter, USAID Country Director Hobgood and 
Embassy Economic Section Chief Carrig met June 26 with 
Minister of Agriculture Adamu Bello, Minister of State Chief 
Chris Agbobu, and five of the Ministry's Directors at the 
Minister's Federal Secretariat office for a discussion of 
U.S.-Nigerian relations, principally in the agriculture 
sector.  Members of the press attended the initial part of 
the meeting. The session was very cordiale, and the embassy 
delegation was warmly received. 
 
 
¶3.  (U) Ambassador Jeter opened by noting the importance of 
Nigeria to the USG,s interests in sub-Saharan Africa. 
Nigeria,s size, population, regional influence and 
engagement make critical a full and progressive relationship 
between our two nations, he said.  The Ambassador continued, 
pointing out that our USAID program for Nigeria, a 
significant component of which is in agriculture, was the 
largest in Africa and that the success of that program is as 
important to the present Administration was it was to last. 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Country Director Hobgood then briefed the Minister 
on the range of USG agricultural support programs ) both 
through USAID and U.S. Department of Agriculture ) now 
underway in Nigeria, noting that they covered many areas. 
Minister Bello agreed there was broad coverage, but said he 
was not fully satisfied with both the depth and the focus of 
much of the USG,s agricultural support assistance. 
 
 
¶5. (SUB) First, Minister Bellow noted that Nigeria,s ties to 
the U.S., cultural, historical, economical (primarily through 
oil exports) and now, political, are sizeable and growing. 
These relationships, he said, merit a much more robust aid 
investment on the part of the U.S.   He characterized the 
present commitment as &a mere fraction of the cost of one 
part of a missile system.8 
 
 
¶6. (U) Second, the Minister said he thought that although USG 
programs were well intentioned, they were more directed 
toward capacity-building and model construction than toward 
&measurable8 results.  He said his Ministry wanted aid 
denominated in measurables such as a targeted increase in 
crop yields, savings in fertilizer, and numbers of farm 
implements delivered to the field.  He noted he had, that 
day, signed an agreement with the Japanese that followed on 
an earlier effort, which had met his criteria of &measurable 
deliverables8. 
 
 
¶7. (U) Ambassador Jeter followed up on the Minister,s 
comments by noting there were absolutely essential precursors 
to proper use and sustained development of the 
&measureables8 that both he and the Minister would like to 
see in Nigeria in the feature.  He cited the rule of law, 
transparency, integrity in government and a military that 
accepts civilian control and direction as critical to a 
democracy.  The Minister accepted that, but noted that with 
70 percent of Nigeria,s population living on subsistence 
agriculture at less than one U.S. dollar per day, there was 
need enough for a few more immediate &measureables8 along 
the way to a fully developed democracy.  &It isn,t a lack 
of civics lessons for Army officers that will bring the Army 
back; it will be the frustration with economic failure by 
that 70 percent who are hungry that will cause the military 
to intervene,8 he insisted. 
 
 
¶8. (U) The Ambassador next recalled President Obasanjo,s 
comment during his recent Washington visit that it might be 
useful if U.S. agricultural assistance programs were fewer in 
number and targeted of Nigeria,s defined top priorities. 
Minister Bello picked up on this immediately.  He then ticked 
off the three targets selected by the President: biotech, 
vaccines and extension services. 
 
 
¶9. (U) Ambassador Jeter noted that beyond the GON,s 
identification of the three targets, there was no clear sense 
of where Nigeria wanted to go with such a select program 
group.  He noted that we needed to have better clarity and 
should work together closely on program design, execution and 
evaluation, that agriculture was only one of many competing 
needs for USAID resources, and because of years of neglect, 
the focus had been on capacity-building.  The Ambassador 
noted that decades of military rule had left the public and 
private sectors &a mere shadow8 of their former efficiency 
envied throughout Africa. 
 
 
¶10.  (U) Minister Bello then called on two of his directors 
for sketches of what they saw as pressing needs for Nigeria 
within the framework President Obasanjo had set out in 
Washington: 
 
 
      -  The Director of Fisheries thanked the U.S. for the 
recent certification of Nigeria for shrimp exports to the 
U.S., following industry compliance with TED regulations.  He 
noted a need for USG assistance in developing a Nigerian 
aquaculture industry for fish farming. 
 
 
      -  The Director of Agricultural Science followed next. 
He noted that Nigeria,s farm animal vaccine industry is not 
competitive.  He cited dated technology, poor packaging and 
marketing as the primary areas where USG assistance would be 
useful. 
 
 
USAID Country Director agreed to have relevant members of his 
staff meet with the Ministry's Directors to determine whether 
suitable USAID assistance programs exist to address the 
concerns raised in the meeting. 
 
 
¶11.  (U) Ambassador Jeter concluded by noting that although 
programs may be targeted for the objectives sought by the 
GON, there simply was no substitute for private sector 
investment and management, that aid could only be a catalyst, 
not a replacement for trade and market discipline.  The 
Ambassador then raised with Minister Bello USG concerns about 
trade restrictions.  He cited two: remaining bans on the 
importation of some commodities, e.g., grain sorghum and 
millet, and a de facto ban on poultry imports due to the 
unavailability of import processing documentation. 
 
 
¶12. (U) Minister Bello had a quick response for each concern. 
 On the bans, he said, simply, that the domestic market 
needed protection and it was incumbent on the GON to provide 
it.  On poultry imports, although he acknowledged the ban had 
been lifted over a year ago, health concerns blocked 
importation for now. 
 
 
¶13. (U) As he was escorting us to our car, the Deputy 
Minister raised Bello's desire to visit Washington as was 
mentioned during President Obasanjo's May official state 
visit to the U.S.  Bello has written to Secretary of 
Agriculture Ann Veneman with some proposed dates, which the 
Deputy Minister said he would also convey to the Embassy. 
 
 
¶14. (U) Bello, a tall, handsome Northerner from Adamawa 
State, is new to his office but seems to have a very firm 
grasp of the concerns of his ministry.  It will be worthwhile 
to engage him on a full range of issues, agricultural sales, 
markets restrictions, developmental goals and policy, when 
and if he visits Washington.  The Embassy endorses his visit 
as a possible way of reinjecting vigor into our agricultural 
programs 
¶15. (U)  Comment.  Bello, who is new to his office, is very 
articulate and seems to have a good grasp of the concerns of 
his Ministry. 
Jeter