US embassy cable - 03ABUJA2231

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002231 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/24/2008 
TAGS: PGOV, KCOR, ETRD, NI, AGOA 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: SPECIAL ASSISTANT EZEKWESILI'S 
AGOA/TRANSPARENCY READ-OUT 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY COUNSELOR JAMES MAXSTADT FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) 
AND (D). 
 
1. (C) Summary:  President Obasanjo's Senior Special 
Assistant and Head of the Budget Monitoring and Price 
Intelligence Unit, Oby Ezekwesili, told us December 23 that 
she thought her transparency presentation at the AGOA Forum 
was important because it put the anti-corruption issue into 
the trade discussion and generated further discussion.  She 
thought the AGOA Forum was excellent, and urged more USG 
interest in AGOA.  Separately, the Embassy has received the 
Textile Visa Application documents from the GON, and 
forwarded them by fax to AF/W. 
 
2. (C) Dr. Ezekwesili also noted Nigeria's interest in 
becoming a pilot country under the Evian Declaration on 
Fighting Corruption and Enhancing Transparency, as the GON 
was committed to fighting corruption, implementing 
transparency in GON operations to include energy revenues and 
budget/procurement implementation, and downsizing government 
through the sale of GON parastatals.  She remarked that the 
National Assembly and the political opposition might seek to 
impede President Obasanjo's reforms.  The engaging and 
articulate Ezekwesili is not afraid to take on Nigeria's 
political elite and, for the moment, has Obasanjo's backing. 
End Summary. 
 
AGOA: Robust Revenue Transparency Discussion 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) On December 23 POL/C and Econoff met with Oby 
Ezekwesili, Senior Special Assistant to President Obasanjo 
and Head of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence 
Unit, for a readout of her participation at the AGOA Forum. 
Ezekwesili stated that the AGOA Forum was "excellent" and the 
transparency session discussion, during which she served as a 
panelist, was "robust and important."  She remarked that one 
cannot talk about international trade without addressing 
corruption and transparency, and was happy that other 
delegates at the AGOA Forum shared that view and continued 
the discussion. 
 
4. (SBU) Dr. Ezekwesili suggested that the next AGOA Forum go 
further, to look at what developed countries can do to reduce 
their companies' contributions to corruption in developing 
countries.  (Note: In this she was echoing President 
Obasanjo's address to Transparency International in November 
urging it create a parallel Transparency mechanism for 
developed countries to track and curb their multinationals' 
bribery of developing countries' governments.  End Note.) 
 
5. (SBU) Dr. Ezekwesili also urged the AGOA Forum to dedicate 
more time to dialogue on transparency in trade issues.  "We 
need to find both domestic and international synergies to 
address Africa's problems and find links between development 
and transparency," she said.  She requested further USG 
assistance in promoting and assisting Nigerian businesses in 
reaping AGOA's benefits. 
 
AGOA Textile Visa Documents Received 
------------------------------------ 
 
6. (U) The Embassy separately received on December 29 the 
GON's documents applying for the AGOA Textile Visa.  Post has 
faxed them to AF/W. 
 
"Whatever You Call It, It's Transparency" 
----------------------------------------- 
 
7. (SBU) Ezekwesili was quite enthusiastic about what Nigeria 
is doing on all fronts about corruption/transparency, and 
looked forward to expanding cooperation under Evian or 
otherwise.   She remarked that it makes no difference if 
Nigeria fights corruption and implements transparency under 
the 2003 Evian Summit's Anti-Corruption and Transparency 
Action Plan, the Extractive Industries Transparency 
Initiative's (EITI), NEPAD, or the GON's own banners.  She 
rather pointedly noted that the World Bank is already 
providing consultants to the GON for its several transparency 
and anti-corruption programs, but the UK has not provided any 
assistance to Nigeria under EITI. 
 
8. (SBU) Ezekwesili hoped that, whatever the plan or moniker, 
by 2007 Nigerians will become so accustomed to good 
governance and transparency that they will expect and demand 
accountability from government.  She praised her President's 
efforts, "Obasanjo has a deep personal outrage over 
corruption."  "The President frees us (the GON economic team) 
up to do everything we want to implement transparency; what 
other African president would do that?" 
 
9. (SBU) Ezekwesili was dismissive of the National Assembly's 
and opposition parties' role in combating corruption and 
encouraging transparency.  Their opposition was to President 
Obasanjo, and was expected.  Nonetheless, she stated that a 
hidden political benefit in the GON's civil service reforms 
(cutting staff; monetizing housing and transportation perks) 
would be that Assembly members could now deflect 
constituents' complaints that the GON spends almost all its 
resources paying civil servant salaries.  The Special 
Assistant remarked that the GON is also committed to 
privatizing government-owned parastatals.  Both politicians 
and the public will eventually understand that the era of 
Nigerians depending on GON contracts and bureaucracy is over; 
"Big Daddy is gone for good." 
 
Biographic Notes 
---------------- 
 
10. (C) Charming, straightforward but sometimes brusque, Dr. 
Oby Ezekwesili is an engaging and articulate interlocutor. 
She is also a commanding figure who takes charge of her staff 
and audience during meetings.  In one-on-one meetings, 
Ezekwesili is honest, intelligent and thoughtfully responds 
to questions, but she can also be self-righteous at times and 
pollyannaish about President Obasanjo's economic policy and 
achievements. 
 
11. (C) The quick witted Ezekwesili is not afraid to 
criticize or chastise individuals or institutions.  In an 
earlier mid-December meeting, she berated Ministry of 
Communication officials for underhanded dealings, and said 
that European contractors had cheated the GON over the years 
through providing substandard materials and training to 
Nigeria while paying off unscrupulous GON officials. 
 
12. (C) In the media, she has characterized possible U.S. 
forgiveness of Nigeria's debt as not a favor to the GON but 
rather a response to a threat to globalization.  Most 
Nigerians, she said, are "trapped by debt and don't know 
where their next meal will come from."  In an earlier private 
meeting with Embassy officials, the Special Adviser stated 
that it is in the United States' interest to help Nigeria 
become democratic and economically viable in order to create 
new markets for American goods and services. 
 
13. (C) During the December 23 meeting, the Special Assistant 
remarked that she admired and respected her close friend and 
former professor at Harvard, Dr. Jendayi Frazer, Senior 
Director for African Affairs at the National Security 
Council.  Ezekwesili claimed to have been instrumental in 
formulating President Bush's 2000 campaign Africa policy with 
Frazer.  Ezekwesili studied Public Administration at 
Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in the late 1990s and 
early 2000s, and hold great affinity toward fellow Harvard 
graduates such as Nasir El-Rufai, the GON's Minister of the 
Federal Capital Territory.  Ezekwesili and El-Rufai are both 
members of Obasanjo's inner circle of economic advisers. 
 
14. (U) Ezekwesili was one of the founding directors of 
Transparency International (TI) and founded TI's Nigerian 
chapter.  She served on the board of Tufts University's 
Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship, 
and also at the Center for Democracy and Development based in 
the United Kingdom.  The Special Assistant has three sons. 
Ezekwesili is a fervent Christian.  Her husband is a pastor 
with the Redeemed Christian Church of Christ. 
Roberts