VZCZCXRO0349
PP RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHHM RUEHJO RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHPB
RUEHRN
DE RUEHUJA #2535/01 2691024
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261024Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7276
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RHFMISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 0026
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP/ASD-HD//
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002535 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA FAS WASHDC FOR FAA/RANDY HAGER 
USDA FOR APHIS/JOHN SHAW 
USDA FOR WAYNE MOLSTAD/OSEC 
USAID/W FOR AFR/WA ANGELA LOZANO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU AMED EAGR EAID NI AVIANFLU
SUBJECT: NIGERIA AVIAN FLU: ANIMAL SURVEILLANCE LAUNCHED 
 
REF:  ABUJA 2238 
 
ABUJA 00002535  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the 
Ministry of Agriculture launched on Sept. 21 their European 
Union/USG-funded program for active animal surveillance of the avian 
influenza (AI) in Nigeria.  Preparations will consist of six to 
eight weeks of training, followed by surveillance to cover all 36 
states and the Federal Capital Territory.  Lagos State now requires 
all poultry farms, regardless of size, to be registered.  The state 
had suffered AI outbreaks on five more farms since early August.  A 
Lagos veterinarian estimated that only 25% of the state's cases of 
AI were reported.  A figure in the poultry sector said AI had killed 
50% of the birds on the state's large poultry farms, although this 
estimate may be high.  An Ogun State official said he personally 
carried out the necessary investigations "which failed to confirm" 
that President Obasanjo's poultry farm had been infected with AI. 
End summary. 
 
2.(U) After considerable delay, the UN Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO), in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture 
(MOA), launched in Abuja on Sept. 21 the European Union/USG-funded 
MOA-FAO program for active animal surveillance of the avian 
influenza (AI).  Preparations will consist of six to eight weeks of 
training, followed by actual surveillance covering all 36 states and 
the Federal Capital Territory, whether or not they are currently 
infected with AI. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Government of Nigeria (GON) announced on Sept. 20 that 
meetings of the GON AI Technical Group (working-level officials) and 
the AI Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (senior-level officials) 
are "postponed until further notice."  According to the GON, this is 
to enable the agriculture sector to prepare adequately for the 
launch of the surveillance program and to ensure the full 
participation of all relevant parties.  (Comment: These canceled 
meetings demonstrate that the Ministry of Agriculture's AI expertise 
is not deep enough both to launch AI animal surveillance and to hold 
these much-needed coordination and information meetings.  End 
comment.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) At the Sept. 13 meeting of the AI donors group at the 
United Nations Abuja, the FAO AI Task Force team leader discussed 
his visit two weeks ago to Lagos and Ogun States, which have 
suffered outbreaks of AI.  The Lagos State director of veterinary 
services (DVS) said the state now required all poultry farms, 
regardless of size, to be registered, otherwise, the state would 
close them.  Lagos State had divided itself into six zones, to 
better report on AI's presence and if necessary to better control 
its spread. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Lagos DVS said the state had suffered AI outbreaks on 
at least five more farms since early August.  The major constraint 
in reacting effectively was a shortage of funds, which resulted in 
very little conclusive information being collected or forwarded. 
Indications were there were even more outbreaks of AI that were not 
reported; a Lagos veterinarian estimated that only 25% of the 
state's cases of AI were reported.  A figure in the poultry sector 
told the FAO official that AI had killed 50% of the birds on Lagos 
State's large poultry farms.  (Comment: Poultry and poultry-product 
prices in southwestern Nigeria have not risen appreciably recently 
and do not appear to reflect, at least currently, such an extent of 
deaths from AI.  End comment.)  The FAO official observed at Lagos's 
Onipami live poultry market persons smoking probable sick or dying 
birds to preserve them for later sale. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Ogun DVS said the state had suffered no new outbreaks 
of AI since the last one in August in the Ijebu-Ode Local Government 
Area.  The DVS said he personally carried out the necessary 
investigations "which failed to confirm" that President Obasanjo's 
farm had been infected with AI and that reportedly had killed much 
of the farm's poultry.  The farm previously had moved birds to 
another location and had sold some of its "spent" egg layers, which 
the DVS said may have led to rumors about AI-related bird deaths on 
the farm. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The FAO official said many poultry farmers who were owed 
compensation for their birds believed that foreign donors had made 
 
ABUJA 00002535  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
available to the GON money to pay compensation which GON officials 
had "pocketed."  The GON had made no substantial progress on paying 
compensation.  A World Bank official said delays on the part of the 
GON continued to delay the distribution of funds from the Bank to 
combat AI.  The Bank will release $10 million to address the issue 
of compensation.  Although the Bank approved in March AI funding for 
Nigeria, the Ministry of Health had not yet opened the dedicated 
bank account required for the Bank to release the money.  The GON 
currently was drawing on only a small amount of World Bank funding.