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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 000526 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USTR-AGAMA 
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USAID/AFR FOR ATWOOD 
DOE FOR GPERSON, CHAYLOCK 
LABOR FOR SHALEY 
USDA/FAS/OTP FOR MCKENZIE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ECON ELAB EPET EFIN EAGR KDEM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA:  BI-WEEKLY POL/ECON UPDATES FOR MARCH 1-14, 2009 
 
Ref: A. ABUJA 483 
 ¶B. ABUJA 316 
     ¶C. LAGOS 2 
 
¶1. (U) The Following is a joint Embassy Abuja, ConGen Lagos 
compilation of March 1-14, 2009 political/economic highlights, which 
did not feature in our other reporting, covering: 
 
--Economic News 
--Health 
--Northern Nigeria 
--Southern Nigeria 
--Delta Incidents 
 
Economic News 
-------------- 
 
¶2. (U) GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR THE 
BUREAU OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES: On March 10, President Yar'adua 
approved the appointment of Dr. Christopher Uloneme Anyanwu as the 
new Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (GON's 
privatization agency).  Dr. Anyanwu replaces Mrs. Irene Chigbue. 
Anyanwu holds a PhD in Law from the University of Buckingham, United 
Kingdom.  Before his appointment, he was the Head of Public and 
Private Law Department, Faculty of Law of the University of Nigeria, 
Nsukka.  His appointment takes effect from March 7, 2009. 
 
¶3. (U) COMMERCE MINISTRY TO PROMOTE NON-OIL EXPORTS: Humphrey Aba, 
Minister of State for Commerce recently disclosed that the Ministry 
of Commerce and Industry will take the lead in diversifying the 
economy from oil.  He said that the non-oil sector will be promoted 
and improved upon to reduce dependence on oil.  He also mentioned 
that while focusing on non-oil trade there will be a deliberate 
effort to promote intellectual property, which is a major revenue 
earner for other countries. 
 
¶4. (U) NIGERIA AND CHINA TO HOLD TRADE AND INVESTMENT FORUM: During 
a recent visit of a Chinese Government delegation led by the Mr. Zhu 
Min, Director General, Department of Foreign Trade and Economic 
Cooperation, Jiangsu Provincial Government, Linus Awute, Permanent 
Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry commended Chinese 
businesses for showing interest in investing in Nigeria.  Awute 
stated that he looks forward to the upcoming Nigeria-China Trade & 
Investment Forum scheduled to be held in Abuja from May 17 - 21, 
¶2009.  He mentioned that the Ministry of Commerce & Industry will 
ensure the participation of the 36 states of the federation, and 
will also work closely with the Chinese business community in 
Nigeria to achieve a successful summit.  The Chinese delegation 
stated that they are in Nigeria to explore investment opportunities 
because they see Nigeria as an attractive investment 
 
¶5. (U) LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS DEMAND END WITH GENETICALLY 
MODIFIED CASSAVA EXPERIMENT: According to press reports, Friends of 
Earth Nigeria and Environmental Rights Action, two vocal Nigerian 
Environmental groups, have expressed concerns against the alleged 
approval by the GON of field testing of genetically modified (GM) 
cassava plants in Nigeria.  The groups expressed their concerns 
about the effects of the crop on human health and the environment. 
They asserted that Nigeria's food security lies in building the 
capacity of its farmers and not in GM foods. 
 
Health 
------- 
 
¶6. (U) A NEW PUSH AGAINST POLIO IN KANO: According to press reports, 
in a big new anti-polio push Muslim clerics have joined community 
leaders, health workers and victims in waging war against polio in 
Kano State, the epicenter of the polio epidemic in Nigeria.  In 
2003, imams in northern Nigeria fomented a boycott of polio 
vaccinations claiming they were a Western plot to make Muslims 
infertile or infect them with AIDS.  As a direct result, the number 
of newly crippled children rose by more than double the following 
year.  Now, after another tripling of cases in 2008, town criers 
announce polio campaigns, at Friday sermons Immas encourage parents 
 
ABUJA 00000526  002 OF 003 
 
 
to vaccinate their children.  Polio victims have also joined the 
campaign and tell parents not to allow their children to be crippled 
for life. 
 
¶7. (U) NIGERIAN AIDS PATIENTS MARRY EACH OTHER: Bauchi State in 
Northern Nigeria is encouraging people living with HIV to marry each 
other and offers counseling and cash toward the union.  State 
officials say that Nigeria is a polygamous society where divorce is 
common and condom use low.  In addition they say, that such unions 
provide more than companionship, as HIV-positive people are 
stigmatized by the society.  Because of privacy restrictions, the 
State does not introduce potential couples.  But when officials hear 
of HIV-infected people courting each other they step in and 
encourage marriage.  Couples receive treatment and counseling to 
prevent mother to child transmission.   Bauchi is the only one out 
of 36 Nigerian states that has introduced the program.  Some health 
experts have criticized the plan, saying that if HIV positive 
couples are encouraged to have babies that more children could end 
up orphaned. 
 
Northern Nigeria 
---------------- 
 
¶8. (U) TRADITIONAL AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS CALL FOR AN END TO 
RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION, INCITEMENT: On March 4 Archbishop John 
Oniyekan, the co- chairman of the Nigerian Inter-religious Council 
(NIREC) and president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), 
called for a law that would make it criminal for any religious 
preacher who incites his followers against innocent citizens or the 
government.  His co-chairman, the Sultan of Sokoto, said Nigeria 
Inter-religious Council should expand its capacity with coverage 
down to the local government areas and he called for the creation of 
a National Traditional Rulers Council.  The Emir of Dass in Bauchi 
State, Alhaji Bilyaminu Othman, urged the Federal Government to 
enact a law against ethnic and religious discrimination. In an 
interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on March 10 he expressed 
his belief that if Nigeria's democratic institutions were working 
well that people in the country would learn to live together. 
 
¶9. (U) ANGLICAN LEADER REFUTES CLAIM THAT CRISES ARE POLITICALLY 
MOTIVATED: On March 12 the Primate of the Church of Nigeria 
(Anglican Communion), Rev. Peter Akinola, alleged that the recent 
crises in Jos, Plateau State and Bauchi State were deliberately 
planned to target the growing Christian population in northern 
Nigeria. He refuted the claim that the crises were politically 
motivated and said "If that was the case, why were churches attacked 
and Christians killed when political party offices and the 
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) building that 
should have been the target?" 
 
¶10. (U) NEW EMIR OF FIKA: Alhaji Muhammadu Alkali Ibn Abali has been 
appointed as the new Emir of Fika.  He succeeds his late father, 
Alhaji Mohammed Abali Ibn Mohammed Idrissa who died on March 10. 
Abali is 52 years old, holds a masters degree in international 
relations from London City University and was previously the 
District Head of Potiskum. 
 
Southern Nigeria 
----------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Doug Smith, Director of Terminal Operations, APM Terminals 
Apapa Ltd., told EconOff March 11 that the Nigerian Port Authority 
(NPA) has not enforced its February 20 directive to not accept new 
ship entry applications for all container vessels to berth at Lagos 
ports.  Following the announcement, terminal operators lobbied the 
Ministry of Transportation (MOT) to reverse the directive.  Smith 
believes that the NPA, while not rescinding the suspension outright, 
will choose to not enforce it.  In return for the NPA's 
backpedaling, APMT had agreed to move unclaimed cargoes at Lagos 
ports to Port Harcourt ports to help alleviate congestion. 
 
¶12. (SBU) On March 11, the Lagos Consul General participated in an 
American Business Council roundtable discussion on the energy 
sector.  Energyoff gave a brief presentation on the various USG 
 
ABUJA 00000526  003 OF 003 
 
 
energy related projects in Nigeria.  The presentation was followed 
by a discussion on the current state of the power in Nigeria. 
Representatives from AES and ConocoPhillips said their power 
projects are hampered by the GON's failure to honor contracts and 
make timely payments for electricity it has purchased.  Both agreed 
that while senior Nigerian government officials understand that this 
failure to meet contractual obligations discourages additional 
investment in the electricity sector, those officials seem unwilling 
or unable to change the situation.  Both AES and ConocoPhillips 
encouraged the Mission to continue to work closely with the Nigerian 
Electricity Regulatory Commission despite recent legal problems 
surrounding its commissioners.  All private sector members of the 
roundtable, which included representatives from large and small oil 
companies and major US banks, agreed that recent changes in the 
leadership in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria indicate that the 
Minister of Power is consolidating his hold over Nigeria's 
electricity sector and this may herald a renewed push towards 
privatization. 
 
¶13. (U) BusinessDay Online reported on March 11 that Bayelsa State 
was currently paying salaries for between 26,700 and 28,000 civil 
servants.  A state of Bayelsa's size, with a population of roughly 
two million people, should not have more than between 4,000 and 
5,000 civil servants, the report estimated.  According to the 
article, the costs of paying salaries amounted to roughly four 
billion Naira ($26.6 million) per month and have "outpaced monthly 
income." Furthermore, Bayelsa's wage bill is much higher than the 
monthly wage bill of larger states in the same South-South region. 
The report cited allegations that some civil servants were receiving 
salaries in up to four to five government ministries at the same 
time.  It also noted allegations that many workers do not exist at 
all, but are "ghost workers," whose salaries are collected by "top 
officials of the state civil service." 
 
Delta Incidents; No Americans Involved 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶14. (U) The press reported and Shell sources confirmed that the 
Trans-Escravos pipeline was sabotaged in the early morning of March 
¶1.  No injuries were incurred or hostages taken, however, an 
estimated 70,000 barrels/day are shut-in. 
 
¶15. (U) The President of the Nigerian Trawler Owners' Association 
(NITOA) told PolOff that the captain of one of the Association's 
trawlers was shot dead by pirates in an incident on March 4.  This 
was the 20th incident of piracy involving fishing trawlers since the 
start of 2009 according to NITOA president. 
 
¶16. (U) According to press reports a Chevron crude oil pipeline on 
the border between Delta and Bayelsa States was sabotaged on March 
4; Chevron announced the attack took 11,500 barrels out of daily 
production.  No estimate was given for the pipeline's return to 
service. 
 
¶17. (U) The press reported that on March 4, one to four local 
ferries (reports varied) operated by the Bonny Local Government and 
carrying between 21 and 30 passengers were attacked by armed men in 
fast boats.  Most of the passengers were robbed and then abandoned, 
but two taken away by the armed men.  The boats were later found. 
All victims were Nigerians. 
 
¶18. (U) On March 4, a Lebanese construction worker was abducted in 
Bayelsa State according to media reports. 
 
SANDERS