VZCZCXRO7857
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #1591/01 2241240
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111240Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3643
INFO RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS PRIORITY 9775
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001591 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA FOR FAS RON VERDONK, PATRICK PACKNETT 
USAID FOR AA/GLOBAL HEALTH, KENT HILL; GH/HIDN, RICHARD GREENE, 
ELLYN OGDEN 
 
E.O. 12958 
TAGS: TBIO PGOV ECON EAID SOCI KISL KOCI NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ENCOURAGING POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR POLIO 
ERADICATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 65054 
      ¶B. ABUJA 815 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE USG 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Per reftel A request, the Mission re-conveyed to 
the Government of Nigeria (GON) the importance of polio eradication 
in Nigeria.  The GON replied that it has set up a Technical 
Committee on Immunization and Polio Eradication because of the World 
Health Assembly (WHA) resolution regarding an increase in the number 
of wild polio virus infected children in Nigeria and neighboring 
countries.  The Mission has strongly encouraged the GON to make 
polio eradication a political priority and will continue to dialog 
on this issue, in concert with other bilateral and multilateral 
donors, at the highest levels as well as with key stakeholders such 
as state and local government officials in northern Nigeria, 
traditional leaders and clergy.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The GON formed a Technical Committee (TC) on Immunization 
and Polio Eradication on June 27 during a meeting chaired by the 
Acting Minister of Health, Dr. Muhammed Hassan Lawal.  The Acting 
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Shehu Sule, 
attended and Dr. Abdulsalami Nasidi, the Minister's new Special 
Advisor for Polio Eradication, was appointed the TC 
Secretary/Coordinator.  The goal of the TC is to improve and 
increase collaboration and synchronization between the governments 
of Nigeria and Niger to prevent further spreading of the wild polio 
virus. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The TC was set up in response to the May 25 2008 WHA 
resolution which singled out Nigeria for strong criticism due to the 
increasing wild polio virus transmission rate in the Northern 
states.  In meetings with donor partners, Dr. Sule expressed 
government embarrassment and humiliation for Nigeria's role in 
"re-infecting the world" (Reftel A).  He emphasized that the GON is 
committed to immunization efforts and preventing polio's spread. 
 
Mission Engagement at the Highest Level 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ambassador has met with President Yar'Adua twice since 
January 2008 and has stressed the importance the USG places on GON 
actions to stop and eradicate the spread of wild polio virus.  She 
and USAID Mission Director also spoke at length on the subject at 
meeting in April that included a number of Nigerian Ministers and 
Ministers of State. The Ambassador also raised this issue in July 
with the Sultan of Sokoto (the leader of Nigeria's Muslim 
community), the First Lady of Kano State (where polio has been a 
particular problem) the Emir of Zazau (the traditional ruler of 
Zaria, a prominent Northern city) and the Governor of Kwara State, 
who is also the Chair of the Governors Forum. 
 
¶5. (SBU) High level USG advocacy, in coordination with colleagues 
from the British Department for International Development (DFID), 
the World Bank and the World Health Organization Country Mission, 
has reinforced these messages from the Ambassador.  Following a 
recent Interagency Coordinating Committee meeting questioning 
immunization reporting, the GON recognized the shortcomings to date 
and established the Immunization and Polio Eradication Initiative, 
programming a series of immunization campaign days focusing first on 
northern states on Nigeria's international borders, followed by 
other northern Nigerian states with continued high levels of 
children with zero polio vaccine doses.  (Comment: While the 
initiative is a welcome one, it has yet to be demonstrated if it 
will in fact lead to significantly better performance in the field. 
End Comment.) 
 
¶6.  USAID officials continue to meet regularly with Federal and 
State Ministry of Health officials, traditional and religious 
leaders to emphasize the importance of commitment and action from 
all levels of leadership.  AIDOFFs have carried out far reaching 
field visits to highlight the need for improved training and 
supervision of immunization teams, improved and timely flow of 
government resources to local wards and districts for campaigns, and 
more reliable distribution of vaccines.  On July 29, the USAID 
Mission Director, along with other development partners and the 
Acting Minister of Health, participated in a meeting with the First 
Lady of Nigeria and several Northern State Government First Ladies 
on polio eradication.  The First Lady urged her state-level 
counterparts to participate in immunization activities and stressed 
the need for their early engagement. 
 
¶7. (SBU) USAID's COMPASS Polio project facilitated an assembly of 
religious, traditional and local government leaders in Kano on July 
31 that was led by the Emir of Kano's personal representative and 
 
ABUJA 00001591  002 OF 002 
 
 
Dr. Nasidi from the Federal Ministry of Health.  That meeting 
sponsored frank discussions of the inadequacies of current 
vaccination efforts, the need for full support of polio eradication 
efforts by the Islamic clergy and the risks to Nigerian 
participation in the annual Hajj, as a result of the spread of wild 
polio virus.  Federal and State health ministry officers, along with 
local government chairmen for the northern Nigeria districts, will 
meet again in Gusau Zamfara State on August 7 - 9 to devise an 
operational plan for vaccination efforts in August and September, as 
well as the integrated measles campaign proposed for November. 
AIDOFFs will attend that meeting to further intensify USG advocacy 
efforts and support for practical measures. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment: It is essential that state and local government 
officials assume personal responsibility and accountability for the 
performance of immunization teams in their respective territories. 
Teams need to take on a much more proactive posture in chasing down 
children with zero or few vaccine doses.  Independent and objective 
monitoring of performance is essential.  Islamic clergy, including 
Friday mosque imams, can regularly emphasize the need for vaccine 
compliance in their sermons.  Some further technical assistance in 
behavior change communication may be required to better assess the 
take-up of key radio immunization messages and enhance the content 
and format to address those concerns and worries that may persist 
among parents and lead to reduced levels of compliance in the 
northern states.  Finally, those states that are taking positive and 
constructive steps, demonstrating leadership, creativity and better 
performance, need to be showcased and highlighted as examples for 
the other northern states.  End Comment. 
 
PIASCIK