US embassy cable - 05LAGOS1128

UNCLAS LAGOS 001128 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR CA/VO/F/PINL/G/TIP SALLY NEUMANN; 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RSA ROBERT ZUEHLKE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ELAB, KCRM, KWMN, PGOV, PHUM, PREL, SMIG, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ADDITIONAL PROJECT FOR EMBASSY SMALL 
PROJECT FUNDS FOR ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS EFFORTS 
 
REF: STATE 8083 
 
1. This is an action request. See para 5. 
 
2. After supplying project descriptions to the Senior 
Policy Operating Group (SPOG) per reftel, Mission's 
Small Project Funds Committee received a proposal from 
an NGO in Edo State.  Because Edo State is widely 
considered the country's highest volume trafficking 
source and the proposal is action oriented, the 
committee agreed that funding was warranted and would 
have a positive impact on anti-trafficking efforts in 
Nigeria.  This proposal fits within the allotted 
$18,000 total budget and so will not have an impact on 
the three proposals already submitted to the SPOG. 
 
3. Per reftel, Mission offers the following information 
on the new project: 
 
PROJECT TITLE: Training Programs and Legal Publications 
to Promote Awareness and Prevention of Human 
Trafficking in Edo State 
 
AMOUNT: $5,000 
 
PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION: The Network for Justice and 
Democracy in Edo state will publish and disseminate an 
already written text on the scope of the trafficking 
problem and relevant Nigerian law. The NGO will also 
offer a series of seminars, provide a hot-line service 
for victims, and distribute awareness brochures, 
stickers, and other publicity materials in a high-risk 
Benin City area, considered "ground zero" for human 
trafficking in Nigeria. The project will also include 
production of radio and television announcements to 
encourage anti-trafficking efforts in the community 
over a seven-month period. 
 
4. The three other projects submitted for approval to 
the SPOG have the following, revised funding totals: 
 
A) Royal Pearls Foundation in Akwa Ibom state: $5,000 
 
B) Community Partners for Development/Centre for Law 
Enforcement Education in Akwa Ibom state: $4,000 
 
C) International Press Center in Lagos: $4,000 
 
The total for all four proposals will therefore fit 
within the $18,000 total allotment for these grants. 
 
5. Action Request.  Post requests that the SPOG review 
the proposal from Edo State and add it to the list of 
accepted projects for Nigeria's Embassy Small Project 
Funds for Anti-Trafficking in Persons efforts. 
 
HOWE