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UNCLAS LAGOS 000198 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USAID FOR NFREEMAN, GBERTOLIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: SOUTHEAST GOVERNORS CLAIM IMPROVED 
INFRASTRUCTURE, EDUCATION 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Anambra State Governor Peter Obi told Poloffs April 
12 that paved roads and the absence of teacher strikes were among his 
most important accomplishments; both were achieved despite wrangling 
with the State legislature and the persistent attempts by former 
Presidential Advisor Andy Uba to wrest control from Obi.  Ebonyi State 
Governor Martin Elechi on April 14 said he prides himself on 
rehabilitation of boarding schools currently educating 5,400 students, 
on new water treatment facilities and on the construction of bridges 
that link farmers with markets.  Both governors have introduced 
government or fiscal responsibility bills.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Anambra: Persistent Political Wrangling Plagues Obi 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) On April 12, Governor Peter Obi (All Progressives Grand 
Alliance, APGA) of Anambra State told PolOffs that his administration 
had achieved significant accomplishments in all sectors, despite 
Anambra's ranking as one of the poorest states in the country and the 
persistent attempts by former Presidential Advisor Andy Uba to wrest 
control of the state away from Obi.  The Governor has submitted to the 
state legislature an executive bill on government procurement, of which 
he is proud.  State schools held a full term with no teacher strikes, a 
achievement Obi credited to his administration's diligence in paying 
teacher salaries on time.  In terms of infrastructure, the Commissioner 
for Works told PolOffs that 250 km of road and drainage had been 
completed in Obi's term, and an additional 420 km are under 
construction.  Governor Obi also noted that the Nigerian Stock Exchange 
the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Corporate Affairs Commision 
the Consumer Protection Counsel and the Central Bank had all opened 
offices in Awka.  Housing remains limited in Anambra due to a lack of 
funding for the Housing Development Corporation and the lack of 
available mortgages.  As a result, people tend to live in Enugu (a 
neighboring state) and commute to work in Anambra, the Commissioner 
claimed.  (Note: Enugu contacts claimed their state's better 
security environment also attracts residents.  End Note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) Obi, whose educational background lies in baning, told PolOff 
that he attended Northwestern for his undergraduate and graduate 
degrees, and took additional courses at Columbia and Harvard.  He 
decided to run for governor while walking with the Northwestern Dean 
along the shores of Lake Michigan.  The Dean convinced him that he 
needed to contribute to the public good, and that he had the requisite 
skills to do so, Obi reminisced. 
 
¶4. (SBU) However, at a meeting the same day of PolOffs' visit, local 
journalists criticized Obi's budget proposal, noting the large 
disparity between it and the legislature's proposed budget and his 
perceived lack of interest in relationship-building with the People's 
Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled legislature.  (Comment: Obi is 
notoriously tight-fisted with state funds, while the legislature 
reflects the interests of civil servants, for whom bigger budgets mean 
more available resources.  End Comment.)  Anambra has not held local 
government elections in nine years. Though all seated officials' tenure 
expired in 2003, the electoral commission's composition has been too 
contentious to resolve, the journalists said. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Ebonyi's Mild-Mannered Elechi Focuses on Growth 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶5. (SBU) In a meeting April 14, the soft-spoken Governor Martin Elechi 
(PDP) explained to PolOffs that he finds himself dealing with 
bureaucrats and legislators who neither understand the need for a 
budget, nor for due process, and must simultaneously educate and 
cooperate with them.  The Governor's office requires a great deal of 
personal initiative and flexibility, Elechi claimed, describing the job 
as requiring continual compromise.  He fretted that the federal 
government dictates what should be done, leaving governors little room 
to carry out their own ideas. After the federal government passed the 
fiscal responsibility bill, he said, the President asked the states to 
pass one as well.  He revised the language of the federal bill and sent 
it to the State Assembly. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Elechi laid out four main areas of focus for his 
administration: infrastructure, security, education and industry. Ebony 
is the first state in Nigeria to hold peaceful and successful local 
government elections since May 2007, in large part due to his reforms o 
 
the local government administration mechanism, he claimed.  In 
educational reforms, Elechi has advocated a return to boarding schools, 
and has thus far renovated two such facilities in each of the 13 local 
government areas (LGAs), plus an additional one for girls in the larges 
LGA, educating 5,400 students.  The current water works that supply the 
state are working at around 25% capacity.  The State has contracted wit 
a Chinese company to refurbish the facility.  Elechi is also developing 
two additional water treatment systems which will treat 100 million 
liters of water a day through an Israeli company.  Elechi also claimed 
to have facilitated the construction of "roads and bridges of unity" 
across local rivers, to facilitate access by farmers to markets; 
nineteen have been planned and the N 23.4 billion (USD 200 million) 
contract for their construction was signed in February, he said. In 
order to provide a consistent supply of electrical power, he is 
exploring electricity generated from biomass to supplement what Ebonyi 
receives from the national grid.  Finally, Elechi discussed his concept 
of relocating the state capital of Abakaliki to a site adjacent to the 
current city, for a clean start based on well-planned, modern 
infrastructure.  For example, he stated, rock crushing operations 
currently located in town will be moved to an area further away to 
reduce pollution. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment: PolOffs and Consulate drivers can vouch for the 
improvements in Anambra's roads, but other claims by both Governors 
remain unverified; assessing these Governors' claims will be a priority 
for upcoming trips to the region.  End Comment. 
HUDSON