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ZNR UUUUU ZZH
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INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
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RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 1953
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0382
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
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RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 001076 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID/AFR FOR ATWOOD 
DEPT PASS USTR-AGAMA 
BAGHDAD FOR DMCCULLOUGH 
DOE FOR GPERSON, CHAYLOCK 
LABOR FOR SHALEY 
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USAID 
USDA/FAS/OTP FOR MCKENZIE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ECON SENV KGHG ENGR EAID ELAB EPET EFIN NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA:  BI-WEEKLY POL/ECON UPDATES FOR JUNE 1-14, 2009 
 
Ref: A. Abuja 714 
 ¶B. Abuja 790 
 ¶C. Abuja 950 
 ¶D. Abuja 968 
 
¶1. (U) The Following is a joint Embassy Abuja, ConGen Lagos 
compilation of June 1-14, 2009 political/economic highlights, which 
did not feature in our other reporting, covering: 
 
--Economic News 
--Health 
--Political News 
--Delta Incidents 
--Oil and Gas 
 
ECONOMIC NEWS 
------------- 
 
¶2. (U) NIGERIAN MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INAUGURATES 
CLIMATE CHANGE DESK: The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, 
on June 9, inaugurated a Climate Change Desk (CCD) at a public 
ceremony attended by members of the government, donors, 
nongovernmental organizations, and the media.  Addressing 
participants, Minster of Science and Technology Alhassan Zaku 
outlined the negative impacts of climate change on Nigeria and the 
need to establish appropriate adaptation and mitigation strategies. 
He said science and technology hold the key for effective response 
to climate change and his ministry, through the Climate Change Desk 
(CCD), will lead these efforts.  According to Minister Zaku, the CCD 
will respond to climate change by, among other things, identifying 
appropriate technologies, conducting technical assessments and 
capacity building, and developing programs and identifying financing 
mechanism for their implementation.  In related news, the Nigerian 
government has commenced the process of ratifying the Kyoto 
agreement on climate change, according to Dr. Victor Fodeke, 
Director of the Climate Change Unit at the Federal Ministry of 
Environment.  He added that the outcomes of the Copenhagen 
Conference on Climate Change will not affect the Kyoto protocol but 
will rather strengthen it.  In recent months, the GON has been 
active in implementing some of its commitments under the United 
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) -- for 
example, the establishment of the CCD -- which it sees a necessary 
step as it prepares for the Copenhagen Conference. 
 
¶3. (SBU) D-8 DISCUSSES ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY: According to 
the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, 
Wahab Jimoh, Nigeria hosted on June 2-3 the first D-8 Experts 
Working Group on Alternative Energy.  Participants discussed 
collaborations on developing and deploying alternative energy 
resources.  (Note:  The D-8 is a grouping of developing countries 
with large Muslim populations:  Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, 
Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.  End note).  PermSec Jimoh 
noted that the D-8 will provide a framework for member countries to 
conduct collaborative research and share information for the 
development and deployment of alternative energy solutions to the 
energy and climate crises that they all face.  He said that the 
member countries are evaluating their relative technical and 
scientific strengths, which will be matched to the specific needs of 
member countries. 
 
¶4. (SBU) US COAST GUARD OFFICERS VISIT LAGOS IN PREPARATION FOR A 
PORT SECURITY INSPECTION IN SEPTEMBER 2009:  Meetings were held with 
various industry organizations and government bodies with 
responsibility for regulating the shipping industry and providing 
maritime security.  Industry interlocutors unanimously criticized 
the current structure for implementation of the International 
Shipping and Port Security (ISPS) Code in Nigeria, claiming that the 
designated Nigerian authority, the Presidential Implementation 
Committee on Port Safety and Security (PICOMSS), does not have the 
necessary competence to be effective.  PICOMSS is located in Abuja 
and dominated, according to industry spokesmen, by politicians with 
 
ABUJA 00001076  002 OF 003 
 
 
no appreciation, understanding, or competence in maritime matters. 
There was widespread agreement among industry representatives that 
the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) 
would be a better organ for implementing and monitoring the ISPS 
Code in Nigeria.  In general, industry contacts said that security 
at privately managed and operated terminals, particularly the crude 
oil off-loading terminals, is good, but they were concerned about 
insecurity in Nigerian ports and waters generally. 
 
HEALTH 
------- 
 
¶5. (U) ZANFARA STATES HONORS USAID/MISSION NIGERIA FOR CONTRIBUTIONS 
IN HEALTH AND COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION EFFORTS: The coalition of 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Zamfara State held its 
second annual "National NGOs Summit" on May 16 during which it 
honored the USAID/Nigeria Mission with the certificate of 
"Outstanding Development Partner."  On behalf of Governor of Zamfara 
State, the Special Advisor on Information Technology and the 
coalition chairman recognized contributions of USAID to health and 
community mobilization efforts, notably Community Action for 
Participation in the Social Sector (COMPASS) Polio Project and 
ACCESS Project.  The COMPASS Polio Project has been working with 
community based, religious and traditional groups to reduce 
non-compliance to the polio vaccination.  The ACCESS project has 
been working with community groups to build a household-to-hospital 
continuum of care to reduce maternal and child mortality and 
morbidity.  Yahuza Ahmed Getso, the COMPASS Polio Eradication 
Officer in Zamfara State, accepted the award on behalf of 
USAID/Nigeria. 
 
POLITICAL NEWS 
-------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) HUMANS RIGHTS ACTIVISTS CALL ON THE NIGERIAN LEGISLATURE TO 
REVIEW THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ELECTORAL REFORM PANEL: At a 
meeting at the Lagos Sheraton hotel on June 12 several South West 
groups marked the 16th anniversary of the June 12, 1993 Presidential 
election believed by some to be Nigeria's freest and fairest 
election to date.  (Note:  Millionaire Yoruba businessman Moshood 
Abiola was generally perceived as the winner of that election; 
however Nigeria's then military ruler Ibrahim Babangida nullified 
the results.  Abiola died in prison several years later.  June 12 
commemorations occur annually in Lagos and this year the state 
declared the day a state holiday.  End note.)  This year's 
anniversary revolved around the theme of credible electoral reform 
as a panacea for electoral fraud and a stable democracy.  Many 
prominent local political figures and humans rights activists called 
on the Nigerian legislature to review the recommendations of the 
electoral reform panel established earlier by the GON.  They 
criticized the GON's subsequent paper transmitting only a portion of 
the panel's recommendations to the National Assembly and urged the 
assembly to rely on the panel's original recommendations.  Shina 
Loremikan, a human rights activist, told PolSpec that Nigerian civil 
society groups will collaborate with opposition political groups to 
ensure that an electoral law that will guarantee a truly independent 
electoral body and a free and fair electoral process is enacted by 
the National Assembly. 
 
¶7. (U) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES TEN BILLS: On June 2-3 the 
House of Representatives closed their second session with the 
passing of ten bills; bringing the total number of bills passed by 
the House (and clean copies produced) from June 2007 to June 2009 to 
¶50. The latest bills passed include: 
-- HB. 22: National Climate Change Commission Bill, 2008 
-- HB. 37: Physically Challenged Persons Trust Fund (Establishment) 
Bill, 2008 
-- HB. 46: Nigerians with Disabilities Bill, 2008 
-- HB. 124: National Agricultural Seeds Council Bill, 2008 
-- HB. 125: Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service Bill, 2008 
-- HB. 126: National Agricultural Development Fund Bill, 2008 
 
ABUJA 00001076  003 OF 003 
 
 
-- HB. 133: National Programme on Immunisation (Repeal) Bill, 2008 
-- HB. 134: Primary Health Care Development Agency (Amendment) Bill, 
2008 
-- HB. 142: River Basin Development Authorities (Amendment) Bill, 
2008 
-- HB. 160: Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development 
Commission (Establishment, etc.) Bill, 2008 
 
¶8. (SBU) LABOR RESUMES PROTEST RALLIES: The Nigerian Labor Congress 
(NLC) announced it will resume protest rallies it earlier suspended 
in May.  A rally will be held in the northern city of Kano on June 
¶16.  NLC Spokesperson Owei Lakemfa said the NLC will recommence the 
rallies because the GON failed to follow up on its promise to 
address the NLC's key demands.  Lakemfa accused the GON of failing 
to establish a tripartite committee to negotiate a new minimum wage 
as agreed by the two parties.  NLC Assistant General Secretary Denja 
Yakub told PolSpec the NLC will meet later in June to review the 
protest rallies and decide on further actions it can take to 
pressure the GON on downstream price deregulation, minimum wage 
changes, and electoral reform.  Yakub warned that the NLC may resort 
to an indefinite industrial action if the GON fails to act 
decisively on its demands. 
 
DELTA INCIDENTS 
--------------- 
 
¶9. (U) See Septels 
 
OIL AND GAS 
----------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE OGONILAND OIL FIELDS TRANSFER 
FROM SHELL TO NNPC: June 4 marked the one year anniversary of 
President Yar'Adua's announcement that responsibility for operating 
the Ogoniland oil fields in Rivers State would be taken away from 
Shell Petroleum Development Company and turned over to another oil 
company.  To date, there has been no work to restart production in 
those fields and they remain shut-in.  Press reports say that the 
Ogoni people are unhappy with the GON's decision to give operating 
control of the fields to a subsidiary of the state-owned Nigerian 
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).  Shell did not fight the 
GON's decision to transfer operatorship of the oilfields and the 
company retains its financial interest in the fields through its 
joint venture partnership with AGIP and NNPC.  Shell ceased 
production there in 1993 due to community unrest.  At the time, the 
Ogoniland fields produced 28,000 barrels of oil per day. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Comment:  The Ogoni people reportedly want a say in 
deciding which company is granted permission to operate the fields. 
Given the relatively small size of the fields and the long history 
of troubled community relations, a major international oil company 
is unlikely to seek the concession.  Small indigenous oil companies 
tell us they are reluctant to operate there as well.  Industry 
rumors persist that a new entrant to the Nigerian petroleum sector 
(Asian and Russian companies are often mentioned) seeking to curry 
favor with the GON may attempt to acquire the concession, but 
working the Ogoni fields would be a tall order for a company 
unaccustomed to the complex community politics of the Niger Delta. 
Despite its lackluster operational history, NNPC may be the only 
viable option.  End Comment. 
 
SANDERS