VZCZCXRO0821
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #0901/01 1461200
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261200Z MAY 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6089
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PRIORITY 0870
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS PRIORITY 1368
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK PRIORITY
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000901 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, INR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR KDEM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR-LED INTERAGENCY TRIP TO 
KATSINA, REFLECTIONS OF A MODEL STATE 
 
REF: LAGOS 00385 
 
ABUJA 00000901  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary.  On May 15, 2009, the Ambassador led an 
interagency delegation of USG officials to Katsina State for 
meetings with Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema and key 
interlocutors from Katsina State as part of the Ambassador's 
Pilot Engagement with States (PES) Program.  This is the 
second state (Bayelsa was first, reftel)  in the PES program, 
which was created in response to the U.S. Mission's effort to 
respond to the need for more technical assistance and 
capacity building at the state-level.   The PES program 
requires counterpart funding from the states. Governor Shema 
kicked off the three-hour plenary session with a presentation 
on the successes of his administration in Katsina, as well as 
several areas where the USG could support the state with 
capacity building and technical assistance in areas such as 
agriculture, health care, solid minerals development, 
education, transportation, legislative strengthening, and 
community development.  The USG team responded by proposing 
several projects that would address the needs of the Katsina 
State Government (KSG) while also meeting Mission objectives. 
 After the plenary session, USG and Katsina officials had a 
breakout session to further outline the proposed partnership. 
 Overall, of the 29 Nigerian states that the Ambassador has 
visited thus far Katsina is one of the most organized and 
efficient, including being the only state with a balanced 
budget of USD 4 billion in interest income, and successful 
state-funded training programs for youth and teachers, along 
with free medical care and city transportation.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Governor Shema kicked off the PES meeting with a 
presentation on the progress the KSG has made under both his 
administration and President Yar'Adua's when he was governor. 
This leadership includes demonstrable successes in key areas, 
such as: education (16,000 university students on 
government-funded scholarships, 126 new secondary schools 
built, 265,000 youth trained and nearly 2000 teachers); 
health care (mobile health units serve as cost-effective ways 
to provide medical care throughout the state); economic 
development (several new roads; creation of youth enterprises 
that produce and sell chalk and paint using kaolin, a 
prominent mineral in the state); agriculture (improved 
irrigation, locally-produced fertilizer to replace expensive 
imports); and transportation (new commercial airport, 
subsidized interstate bus service).  Katsina was the only 
state in Nigeria with a budget surplus in 2008 and a balanced 
budget this year in spite of low oil prices and the global 
financial crisis.  The governor welcomed the proposed 
partnership with the U.S. Mission, which complements and 
enhances his own development initiatives. 
 
USG Programs Proposed 
------------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) Agricultural Development:  USAIDOff presented the 
Governor and his team with programs to enhance cereal 
productivity and to improve agricultural trade and transport 
as part of the USG's Global Food Security Response.   These 
programs would improve productivity, increase the income of 
farmers, and facilitate border crossing for agricultural 
products from Katsina State.  Agricultural Attach then 
highlighted several Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) 
programs and suggested the governor nominate qualified 
individuals for the highly competitive exchange programs, and 
participate in efforts to improve agricultural data 
collection for analysis and decision making. The governor was 
very interested in expanding the existing USAID cereals 
program and finding the appropriate applicants for FAS 
exchange programs.  The Ambassador also invited 
representatives from the Governor's Agriculture Development 
Committee to attend the U.S. Mission's capacity building 
event focused on agriculture, which she is hosting in Lagos 
June 9-10, 2009. 
 
¶4. (U) Health and Disease Prevention:  Center for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC) Director offered two training 
programs on avian and pandemic influenza containment and on 
field epidemiology and laboratory training. The KSG would be 
responsible for getting 25-30 people to the capital (Katsina) 
 
ABUJA 00000901  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
for the training.  CDC would provide trainers, materials and 
technical support. The governor responded immediately saying 
he was extremely interested in these programs and would cover 
the cost of getting participants to and from the training. 
USAIDOff then offered to scale up its existing fistula 
prevention and treatment program.  However, the government 
seemed less interested in this program, which may be due to 
the $3 million the state would have to pay over the next 
three years. 
 
¶5. (U) Education:  Cultural Affairs Officer (CAO) talked 
about several exchange programs including the Hubert Humphrey 
program for mid-career professionals, the Education Advising 
Center, and the Fulbright Specialist Program, which would 
greatly assist the newly commissioned Umaru Musa Yar'Adua 
University, one of the most modern and equipped in Nigeria. 
The governor led the Ambassador, CAO and Staff Aide on a tour 
of the science and technology university after the PES 
meetings.  The school can compete with any U.S. university in 
terms of first class equipment for all the hard sciences. 
The governor and vice chancellor of the university were very 
interested in the USG's proposed projects and agreed to find 
candidates for the exchange programs.  The governor was 
particularly interested in ICT and curriculum development for 
the nascent university as well as partnerships with U.S. 
universities. 
 
¶6. (U) Community Development:  Officers from the Office of 
Security Cooperation (OSC) presented several community 
development projects that would support the government's 
development efforts, including medical waste incinerators at 
hospitals, boreholes in priority areas identified by the KSG, 
and support to the governor's mobile clinics with ambulances, 
tents and medical supplies.  These projects were very well 
received by the Katsina delegation and the bulk of the costs 
would be paid by OSC. 
 
¶7. (U) Solid Minerals Development:  The Ambassador said she 
would share with the U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) director 
the governor's ambitions to expand solid minerals development 
in the state.  She invited the Commissioner of Solid Minerals 
and other appropriate KSG representatives to U.S. Mission's 
Lagos agriculture event in June to meet with a visiting U.S. 
Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) delegation to further 
discuss the governor's plans in this area. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Comment.  Katsina State is clearly one of the best 
run in Nigeria where its resources are really being used in 
the social sector to help the people of the state.  Real 
change began with the Yar'Adua administration and certainly 
has continued under Governor Shema (former state attorney 
general).  There is great potential for the Mission's PES 
program.  On the 2011 elections, there is clearly evidence 
that it is on the mind of the Governor and his team, as 
several billboards throughout the state had pictures of the 
Governor and President side-by-side already highlighting 
election events.  End Comment. 
SANDERS