US embassy cable - 05ABUJA1479

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001479 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, EAID, NI 
SUBJECT: OBASANJO TASKS NORTHERN GOVERNORS: IMPROVE 
DEPLORABLE HEALTH AND EDUCATION CONDITIONS 
 
REF: ABUJA 1384 
 
1.   (SBU) Summary:  At the Presidential Villa on 
August 8, President Obasanjo tasked several northern 
Governors with improving their states' poor social 
conditions.  In group discussions, attendees agreed 
that public health services had collapsed, and that 
local government had failed to deliver services. 
Obasanjo said that savings from debt relief would be 
redirected to primary health care.  End Summary. 
 
2.   (SBU) On August 8, President Obasanjo invited the 
Charge d'Affaires and the AID Mission Director to a 
meeting between the President and the Governors of 
several northern Nigerian states, as the President had 
said at a July 27 meeting regarding the poor state of 
health and education services in Northern Nigeria 
(reftel).  Poloff served as notetaker. 
 
3.   (SBU) The meeting took place in the Council 
Chambers, a large conference room at the Presidential 
Villa in Abuja.  About 60 attendees were seated around 
a U-shaped table with the President at the head. 
Another 30-40 attendees filled other seats in the room. 
Present were the state Governors of Kano, Sokoto, 
Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Adamawa, and Borno, the Deputy 
Governor of Kaduna, the Ministers of Health, Women's 
Affairs, and Education, numerous Advisors and Special 
Advisors, a traditional ruler from the Sokoto 
Caliphate, an Anglican bishop, and many Local 
Government Area (LGA) representatives.  From the "donor 
community" (as President Obasanjo called the non- 
Nigerians present) were the Mission team, a DFID 
officer, and representatives of WHO, UNICEF, and UNDP. 
 
4.   (SBU) Obasanjo distributed copies of the six-page 
USAID map presentation that showed worse social 
indicators in the north of the country than in the 
south, and worse indicators for Nigeria overall than 
many of its West African neighbors.  He stressed that 
the data came from "our own figures, not from abroad." 
(Note:  The source document for the USAID analysis was 
the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, published in 
2004 by the Nigerian National Population Commission 
with USAID technical assistance.  End Note)  He read 
many of the statistics on the maps, highlighting the 
areas where Nigeria or northern Nigeria was 
underperforming.  For example, he pointed out that 
child mortality in Nigeria was higher than in Cameroon 
and asked, "How can anyone say that we are poorer than 
Cameroon?"  He went on to say that Nigeria's 
immunization rate was lower than "Cameroon, 
Ghana...even Benin Republic," his mention of Benin 
drawing laughter. 
 
5.   (SBU) Obasanjo listed the many different 
officials, agencies, and commissions represented at the 
meeting, and stressed that these social problems 
required "all hands on deck."  He told a joke about a 
prayer that ended, "and God, this is important; don't 
send your son!"  When the laughter stopped, he directed 
the northern Governors, "this is important; don't send 
your Deputy Governors."  He turned to the chief 
executive of the National Program of Immunization (NPI) 
and sarcastically asked, "What does NPI stand for?  Oh 
yes, immunization."  He began the open discussion by 
asking what the Governors planned to do. 
 
6.   (SBU) The group then spent the next 90 minutes 
discussing the problems with the health sector.  One 
conclusion reached was that the LGA structure was 
simply not working:  services were not being delivered, 
and federal funds were being wasted by LGAs.  Regarding 
the health care sector, the Minister of Health said 
that the primary health care system, for which LGAs 
were responsible, "has collapsed totally."  The Katsina 
Governor agreed that "LGAs are not functioning," and 
that any policy that relies upon LGAs to perform is a 
"defective policy."  Obasanjo finished the health care 
discussion by directing that efforts be coordinated at 
zonal level, and that the group meet again in six 
months and report their progress to the President. 
(Note:  "Zones" are the six geo-political regions of 
Nigeria:  the Northwest, the Northeast, the North- 
Central or "Middle Belt," the Southwest, the Southeast 
or "Igboland," and the South-South or "the Niger 
Delta."  End Note) 
 
7.   (SBU) Note:  In a meeting with the NPI chief 
executive two days later, the USAID Director was told 
that, after the President closed the meeting, most of 
the Governors and the health officials continued past 
midnight in a discussion of how to respond to the 
President's challenge to upgrade health conditions in 
the North.  End Note. 
 
8.   (SBU) The Minister of Health suggested that the 
GON create a Primary Care Trust Fund, similar to the 
Education Trust Fund.  Obasanjo answered, "You won't 
get what you are suggesting," but said that savings 
from debt relief would be redirected to primary health 
care. 
 
9.   (SBU) When the discussion moved to the education 
sector, the group agreed that there was a shortage of 
teachers.  Obasanjo felt inadequate school meals were a 
problem and held the Governors responsible for 
achieving the goal of "one good meal a day."  When the 
discussion turned to why girls do not attend school in 
the North, Obasanjo faced the governors and told them 
"You know why they don't," referring to cultural 
practices that discourage girls' attendance.  Obasanjo 
said to the governors, "You were elected to do the hard 
things, not just to be popular.  You must do the hard 
things for this generation and for the coming 
generation." 
 
10.  (SBU) Obasanjo added that infectious diseases were 
a problem, and if Nigeria could make progress against 
HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, average "life 
expectancy would increase by four years." 
 
11.  (SBU) Comment:  The most significant thing about 
this meeting is that it happened.  These problems have 
been overlooked for many years.  Some observers believe 
political discontent in the North is fueled by 
inadequate delivery of social services.  The President 
has now acknowledged serious shortcomings in the 
nation's health and education systems with an emphasis 
on the North.  He directed all three levels of 
government (Federal, State, Local) to work together to 
improve things in the North and report back to him at 
six month intervals.  It is encouraging that he said 
Federal funds would be allocated and that he would hold 
the Governors accountable for progress.  End Comment. 
 
FUREY