US embassy cable - 04ABUJA1132

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001132 
 
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: DECL: 06/22/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EAID, SOCI, NI 
SUBJECT: THE STATE OF PLAY:  POLIO ERADICATION INITIATIVE 
(PEI) 
 
REF: ABUJA 971 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN CAMPBELL.  REASONS 1.5 (B & D). 
 
1.  (U)  Summary:  The international media is reporting a 
surge of polio cases in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.  In 
response, and with the support of  the Nigerian Federal 
government, non-governmental organizations are pushing to 
implement the oft-delayed efforts to immunize children 
throughout northern Nigeria, particularly in Kano State where 
state and local officials have blocked or only tepidly 
supported recent vaccination rounds.  In Kano, polio 
vaccination has become a political issue:  support for it is 
associated with the West and with the Obasanjo government. 
Opposition to vaccination is somehow perceived as "Islamic," 
especially amongst Northern Muslims suspicious of the motives 
of the Obasanjo government.  It remains to be seen whether 
sufficiently large number of Muslim residents of Kano state 
will allow their children to be vaccinated to stop the polio 
surge.  End summary. 
 
2.  (U)  Citing the World Health Organization (WHO) and other 
reputable sources, The New York Times reports on June 23, 
2004 that a surge of polio cases in Nigeria - 60 cases in one 
week in April - was responsible for the spread of the disease 
to ten African countries.  As of June 16, the WHO reports 257 
polio cases in 29 Nigerian states since January 1, 2004. 
Without vaccinations in Kano, and with low-quality 
vaccination rounds in other, predominately Muslim states, the 
GON has been unable to prevent the spread of the virus to 
other parts of the country or abroad. 
 
3.  (C)  In Kano State, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, a leader 
of the political opposition to President Obasanjo, is 
suspected of cynically exploiting suspicion of vaccination 
for narrow political advantage.  For example, Rep. Farouk 
Lawan, Chairman of the House Finance Committee and a 
representative from Kano State, told Econoff that he believed 
that Shekarau was using suspicion of  polio vaccination to 
"demonize" the Obasanjo government at the time that his 
political mentor, ANPP Presidential candidate Muhammadu 
Buhari, is contesting the flawed 2003 presidential election 
in the courts.  Despite his negative position on polio 
vaccination, we note that Governor Shekarau is widely 
regarded as an effective state Governor in other areas of his 
responsibility and not publicly associated with corruption. 
 
4.  (C)  However, in the face of pressure from the GON and 
opposition to his stance from numerous international Islamic 
groups, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau appears to be looking for 
ways to back down while saving face.  This will not be easy. 
Amongst his grass roots supporters there is residual 
suspicion of vaccination campaigns dating back to a late 
1990,s scandal involving the Western pharmaceutical giant 
Pfizer, which tested an anti-meningitis drug on Nigerian 
children without parental knowledge or consent.  Building on 
this residual suspicion, certain political and religious 
leaders have attacked successfully the polio vaccination 
campaign.  For example, the Chairman of the Supreme Council 
of Sharia in Nigeria, Dr. Datti Mohammed, alleged that the 
polio vaccines proposed for Kano state were contaminated, 
possibly containing the HIV/AIDS virus or some chemical agent 
that would inhibit fertility. 
 
5.  (U)  In response, the Nigerian Federal government sent a 
delegation of experts, including members of the Islamic 
umbrella organization Jamiatu Nasirul Islamiya (JNI) to other 
Muslim countries to explore how polio vaccine is manufactured 
and distributed.  Following a visit to Indonesia, these 
experts publicly supported the polio vaccination program in 
Northern Nigeria. 
 
6.  (C)  However, the Kano state government refused to accept 
these experts, recommendations, claiming that the delegation 
had included neither a representative from Kano State 
Government nor the medical doctor from Kano who initially 
alleged that the vaccine was contaminated.  Instead, the Kano 
state government sent its own delegation to Indonesia.  That 
delegation drew the same conclusions as the earlier 
delegation, and recommended resumption of the vaccine 
campaign, but with vaccine manufactured in a Muslim country. 
The Permanent Secretary of Kano State, the governor,s de 
facto chief of staff, recently told the Embassy Political 
Specialist that Kano State has now approved a full 
implementation plan for immunization using vaccine 
manufactured in a Muslim state.  He claims that the plan has 
been submitted to the Federal government for final approval, 
and that vaccinations will resume by the end of June. 
 
7.  (C)  Some GON sources continue to criticize Shekarau, 
claiming that the only delay in the vaccinations is his 
unwillingness to make a public announcement on the safety of 
the vaccine.  Apparently, Shekarau was ready to make the 
public statement on June 14, but the Federal Government 
jumped the gun, announcing his intention ahead of time. 
Embarrassed and isolated, Shekarau delayed the announcement, 
but indicates that he is again prepared to move ahead on the 
issue.  According to Lawan, vaccine, purchased from 
Indonesia, is already in the country.  He says that testing 
is going on now in Kano and that  it could be deployed "in a 
couple of weeks."  In fact, UNICEF confirms that 40 million 
doses are "in the country and ready to go,"  with the 
expectation that other northern states may request the 
"Muslim" vaccine. 
 
8.  (C)  Comment:  Governor Shekarau has yet to make a 
forceful effort to implement the vaccination program - even 
with "Muslim" vaccine.  The GON has tried to push the issue 
ahead, but Nigeria,s federal system limits its power over 
the state governments and it is still currently meeting 
sufficient resistance to undermine the effectiveness of 
vaccination in the North.  Even if the vaccination campaign 
resumes in the near future, northerners remain skeptical and, 
we predict, will be hesitant to participate.  It is clear 
that the campaign against the vaccination campaign has been 
successful, and has also fostered distrust between parts of 
the northern public and the Federal Government.  In any 
event, a multi-year effort will be necessary to ensure that 
the majority of children are vaccinated, and will require the 
continued support of respected traditional rulers and others 
to overcome popular suspicion that can be exploited by 
elected officials and others for narrow political advantage. 
ESF funding is crucial to this effort. 
CAMPBELL