US embassy cable - 04ABUJA524

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000524 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, USAID/W FOR AFR/AA, CONSTANCE NEWMAN, 
AFR/WA, MICHAEL KARBELING, GH/AA, ANN PETERSON, GH/CH 
SURVIVAL, HOPE SUKIN, OES/IHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, NI, SOCI, KHIV, AID 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: STATUS OF POLIO ERADICATION 
INITIATIVE (PEI) 
 
REF:  ABUJA 00433 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.   This cable provides an update on the current 
situation related to polio eradication in Nigeria, 
including actions in process and to be undertaken over 
the next two-week period. 
Kano State remains the lone hold-out since the last 
cable, with Zamfara State hosting the well attended and 
well publicized National Flag-off Ceremony on Monday, 
22 March 2004, presided over by President Obasanjo. 
Even with the success of the Flag-off, however, there 
remain significant pockets of doubt and confusion among 
all levels of the population, including the very well 
educated, professional levels. 
All relevant donor Agency personnel are in the field 
this week for monitoring of the second round of 
national immunization days (NIDs), which concludes 
today, Thursday, 25 March. 
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CURRENT ACTIVITIES 
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2.   The Zamfara State Flag-off ceremony was a well- 
reported success, receiving largely favorable, positive 
treatment in the media.  President Obasanjo delivered 
the keynote address and pledged to be personally 
involved in the eradication campaign to ensure complete 
success.  During the ceremonies, the Sultan of Sokoto 
urged all Muslims to bring their children to be 
immunized.  In addition to the President, the Minister 
of Health and the Sultan, an impressive list of 
dignitaries from the north and elsewhere, including 
donor Agency Heads, were on hand for the flag-off. 
3. In spite of the success of the Flag-off, a weekly 
newspaper, "The Path," from Sokoto said in their March 
24 issue that there remains lingering resistance to the 
polio vaccine in Zamfara state.  Reporting from Gusau, 
the capital city of Zamfara, the Path's reporter said 
that only 3 out of 70 parents questioned said they 
would immunize their children.  The remainder of the 
article listed positive statements from the Sultan of 
Sokoto, various emirs, and provided good coverage of 
the governor's and other officials' children being 
immunized.  It is clear that it will take some time to 
reorient average people on this issue. 
4.   The 8 northern Governors met with the Kano 
Governor on Friday, 19 March 2004.  A usually reliable 
source of information in Kano reports that no change 
was effected on the Kano State position as a result of 
that meeting.  The Governor is still insisting that he 
be allowed to purchase his own vaccines for his state. 
Any information we receive that differs from this will 
be reported in a later cable. 
5.   Also reported to us was a meeting of the Ulamas in 
Kano on 22 March, with the same outcome - a firm 
resolve that Kano purchase their own oral polio vaccine 
(OPV) henceforth. 
6.   We expect to obtain a copy next week of the 
videotape that was made of the meeting held in Kano and 
hosted by the Governor of Kano, wherein the decision 
was taken to reject the OPV supplied by the National 
Program on Immunization in favor of supplying their 
own.  The meeting was conducted in Hausa language and, 
when received, we will have it interpreted in hopes it 
will shed light on a rationale for the persistent 
rejection. 
 
7.   Pending reports from the field evaluating the 
second round of NIDs, it is not yet known whether the 
Bauchi State Governor carried out his promise to 
support the round with health personnel as vaccinators, 
including the payment of their stipends.  Details will 
be in subsequent cable. 
 
8.   A Kaduna-based Human Rights organization is 
considering bringing legal action against the Supreme 
Council for Sharia over their opposition to the OPV. 
The organization considers this to be a violation of 
the child's rights to immunization and protection from 
the crippling disease of polio. 
 
9.   It is being reported in the local press that all 
of the former Heads of State from the North assured the 
U.N. Special Representative, Prof. Gambari, during his 
recent trip to Nigeria that they are in favor of polio 
immunization.  These statements imply favorable 
opportunities for advocacy actions from any or all of 
them to the Kano Governor. 
 
10. Also noted, based upon numerous interactions with 
groups such as the Federation of Muslim Women's 
Organizations in Nigeria (FOMWON), is a lack of clear 
and accurate information on basic medical issues 
related to immunizations, suggesting immediate 
possibilities for all donor agencies to collaborate on 
creating and making widely available informational 
materials. 
 
11.  USAID took part, together with WHO, UNICEF and the 
Federal Government of Nigeria in a UNICEF-sponsored 
meeting on 19 March, 2004, to sensitize high-level 
health professionals from across the country.  The 
presentations generated much discussion and provided an 
opportunity to clear up misconceptions and 
misunderstandings.  All states were represented in the 
audience, including Kano State, and good progress was 
made toward mutual understanding.  A full report of the 
meeting is not yet available from UNICEF. 
 
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DONOR COMMITMENT 
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12.  Donors will reconvene their coordination meetings 
the week following the return of all agency personnel 
from their field monitoring duties.  The next meeting 
will be a review of the first two NIDs rounds of this 
year and a re-strategizing for the remainder of the 
year. 
13.   There is still no new date set for an Interagency 
Coordinating Committee (ICC) meeting, but there is an 
expectation that it may happen in the coming week. 
14.  The Core Technical Group continues to meet a 
minimum of once weekly, except during the 
implementation of NIDs, at which time the participants 
are in the field monitoring. 
15.  Carl Hassleblad, a CDC-funded immunization expert 
working with WHO, is scheduled to arrive in Nigeria on 
31 March and will be based in Kano State.  Mr. 
Hassleblad is a former BASICS consultant who worked in 
Kano State during his two-year tenure here in 2001 and 
2002.  Mr. Hassleblad's assignment is scheduled to last 
through December 2004. 
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NEXT STEPS 
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16.  The second round of NIDs began on 22 March and 
ends on 25 March, with all states except Kano 
participating fully. Assessments of the round 
nationwide will begin on Monday 29 March with all 
partners participating.  Planning will begin at once 
for subsequent rounds of State National Immunization 
Days (sNIDs), mop-ups and ongoing social mobilization 
and training activities. 
17.  The USG-supported community ownership process in 
Kano State, Participatory Learning and Action Committee 
for Ownership (PLACO), is on track for all phases, 
including routine immunization - except OPV.  Project 
head will visit Kano on Wednesday, 31 March to 
ascertain the status of thinking among government 
officials in the state.  He will then report his 
findings to the USAID Mission on Friday, 2 April 2004. 
 
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CONCLUSION 
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18.  Mission will conduct information gathering 
activities over the coming week following the 
implementation exercise, and continue to work with our 
donor partners toward the goal of interruption of wild 
poliovirus transmission by end of 2004. 
 
19.  Mission reiterates our emphasis on the necessity 
of strengthening the routine immunization system in 
this country, and particularly in Kano State, to ensure 
sustained polio eradication and protection against the 
other killer childhood diseases.  The effort will 
require significant funding and ongoing, intensive 
collaboration between USAID, WHO, UNICEF and the GON. 
 
20.  Post will continue to provide regular reports on 
progress in the effort to eradicate polio in Nigeria. 
 
ROBERTS