VZCZCXRO2774
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHOS #0488/01 3451340
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101340Z DEC 08
FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0352
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 9993

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000488 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT APER SCUL EAGR PGOV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: CONSULATE GENERAL SENIOR STAFF OFFSITE 
AND VISIT TO IBADAN UNIVERSITY 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  The Consul General and Consulate senior 
staff held an off-site at the  International Institute of 
Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in Ibadan, Oyo State November 
6-8.  The Consul General and staff toured the University of 
Ibadan and met with university's Vice Chancellor.  The Vice 
Chancellor expressed his gratitude for the institution's 
partnership with The MacArthur Foundation and explained plans 
to use a recent USD 4 million grant to more than triple 
enrollment in distance learning courses.  He also noted an 
imminent shortage of professors in Nigerian universities.  At 
the off-site, the senior staff discussed a variety of issues 
facing the Consulate and developed plans to improve ELO 
training, conduct a table top exercise to improve staff 
readiness and cohesion, seek FSI training opportunities at 
Post, and develop a recruiting video.  The Ambassador 
presented her Team Nigeria vision and mission and the Consul 
General hosted a reception for Ibadan area contacts including 
the head of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, local 
traditional rulers, and American Citizen Services wardens. 
End Summary. 
 
University of Ibadan Expands Distance Learning 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (U) The Lagos Senior Staff, consisting of the Consul 
General, section heads, and the heads of the DEA, LEGATT, 
FCS, and FAS met at the International Institute of Tropical 
Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan November 6-8 to for a staff 
off-site and representation event.  Prior to arriving at 
IITA, the Consul General and staff toured the University of 
Ibadan, Nigeria's oldest Federal University and the crown 
jewel of the nation's university system.  The Deputy Vice 
Chancellor of Academics Adigun Agbaje gave the staff a 
presentation on the history and current plans of the 
university and lead them on a tour of the university campus, 
bookstore, and the university's new radio station. (Note: 
The university was filled with new students and their 
families attending matriculation ceremonies.  End Note.) 
 
¶3. (U) The group then met with University of Ibadan's Vice 
Chancellor, Professor Olufemi Bamiro.  Professor Bamiro 
praised his university's connections with the United States. 
He explained the university recently received a USD 4 million 
MacArthur Foundation award to expand academic and research 
programs.  The university will use the money to expand its 
accredited distance learning program from 7,000 to 25,000 
students by 2010.  In addition, the university will use some 
of the money to equip its central research laboratory and 
improve staff training.  As of January 2008, the MacArthur 
Foundation has provided more than USD 12.6 million to the 
university since 1989. 
 
¶4. (U) According to the Vice Chancellor, the university, like 
all federal universities, will face a shortage of professors 
over the next few years because Nigerian law requires public 
servants, including professors, to retire at sixty years of 
age.  Younger PhDs are scarce as the number of doctorates 
awarded in the 1980's and 1990's dropped significantly due to 
neglect of the nation's university system, while more recent 
PhD candidates are seeking employment in Nigeria's booming 
banking and telecom industries.  The Vice Chancellor said he 
and other federal university leaders are asking for an 
exemption to the age 60 rule for university professors. 
 
Retreat Focuses on Challenges, Opportunities 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The senior staff then met at IITA for a day and a half 
of discussions.  The Ambassador joined the group at the 
opening session to present her vision for Team Nigeria.  She 
shared a proposed branding strategy that will better identify 
USG-sponsored activities and unveiled a public diplomacy 
document that will detail the USG's participation in the 
US-Nigeria Framework for Partnership. 
 
¶6. (U)  Over the next day, the senior staff discussed a 
variety of challenges and opportunities facing the Consulate 
General.  Topics included resource constraints, entry level 
officer (ELO) training and development, general training for 
the Consulate, improving communication between sections and 
agencies, the challenges to living in Lagos, and staffing 
limitations.  The senior staff came away with several 
takeaways including:  preliminary plans for increasing ELO 
participation in Consulate events and improved ELO training; 
a table top exercise to improve Consulate cohesion and crisis 
readiness; plans to request additional FSI training at Post; 
revamped section and agency briefing for newcomers; and an 
ELO-led Post recruiting on-line video to attract and better 
inform interested bidders, and for use in the Overseas 
Briefing Center. 
 
 
LAGOS 00000488  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶7. (U) On the evening of November 6, the Consul General 
hosted a reception and informal dinner for prominent members 
of the local community including traditional ruler, Prince 
Gbola Adeyisan, Professor Gabriel Ogunmola, the head of the 
Nigerian Academy of Science, and Karen Ann Nwulu, director of 
the American Christian Academy and one of two ACS Wardens in 
Ibadan.  Professor Ogunmola made brief remarks in which he 
recounted his experiences in the United States on a Fulbright 
scholarship.  He urged the USG to continue its policy of 
encouraging young people to study in the United States. 
 
¶8. (U) Several members of the senior staff took the 
opportunity to tour the IITA research facilities. 
Agriculture experts provided detailed explanations of their 
work in breeding disease resistant strains of subsistence 
crops such as cassava.  Additionally, retired FSO Nic 
Robinson, a former USIA officer and long time West Africa 
hand, joined the group on November 7 to discuss the changes 
he has seen in Nigeria over the decades.  On November 8, Sam 
Eyitayo of the Abuja Public Affairs Section gave a 
presentation on the use of RRS feeds to improve news 
gathering skills. 
 
¶9. (U) Comment: The Consulate senior staff found the 
opportunity to get away from the day to day routine of the 
Consulate and the chaos of the city of Lagos invaluable.  We 
look forward to implementing the ideas that were generated 
during the discussions.  The University of Ibadan looked 
significantly cleaner and better maintained than during a 
previous visit by the Consul General earlier in the year. 
There is an obvious energy on the campus and while they 
acknowledge the problems that confront them and Nigeria, the 
optimism among the students and staff about the future is a 
refreshing change from the litany of complaints one often 
hears from contacts in Lagos.  End Comment 
 
¶10. (U) This cable cleared by Embassy Abuja. 
BLAIR