US embassy cable - 05LAGOS1677

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 001677 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ABIDJAN FOR NICHOLAS HILGERT; ACCRA FOR NATHAN BLUHM; STATE 
FOR PRM/AFR CAROL ANNE CHANG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF, PREL, PGOV, CVIS, SMIG, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: LATRINE PROJECT AT ORU REFUGEE CAMP STALLS 
 
REF: STATE 116436 
 
1.  Summary.  Construction of latrines at the Oru Refugee 
Camp has been delayed by about two months.  Recent inspection 
of the camp revealed the delays were caused by disagreements 
on the use of refugee labor, disputes over location of 
latrines, and a restructuring of the Nigerian Red Cross 
(NRC).  The NRC project, financed by the Ambassador's Fund 
for Refugees (reftel), will remain stalled unless given an 
external push.  End Summary. 
 
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THE CAMP AND ITS INHABITANTS 
---------------------------- 
 
2.  On Wednesday, October 19, a Consulate officer visited Oru 
Refugee Camp in Ogun State with UNHCR representatives.  Oru 
is home to 5,325 refugees, approximately 70 per cent from 
Liberia.  The camp consists of five main living areas, known 
as J Block, IBB, Kabo Estates, Nairobi, and King's Villa, 
each housing at least 400 people.  Kabo Estates is comprised 
of 72 mudbrick or wood-constructed homes, built with money 
from the German government and housing anywhere from 10 to 20 
people each.  There is an eight-room school building, with 
four of the rooms currently being used as living quarters. 
Inhabitants partition the rooms with sheets and batik cloth 
into at least four sections, with eight to ten people in each 
section.  A large town hall building houses over a hundred 
stragglers.  A large number of refugees have also constructed 
makeshift housing around the main living areas.  A steady 
influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo 
(DROC) and Sudan may overcrowd the camp further.  (Note. 
Last year, an estimated 736 people from both countries sought 
asylum in Nigeria, and this trend has not abated.  End Note.) 
 
3.  One solitary well provides drinking water for all 
residents.  The residents complain diarrhea and other 
illnesses are prevalent because of sub-standard water.  The 
clinic is small, providing only 5 beds not yet gender 
separated, and the NRC has problems stocking the clinic with 
medicine.  The NRC has to wait for money transfers from the 
UNHCR office to buy drugs, and these transfers are sometimes 
irregular. 
 
4.  UNICEF is sponsoring a nutritional study of the camp. 
The lead researcher, a University of Ibadan professor, told 
us his preliminary results indicate rampant malnutrition. 
The study was designed to focus on 600 mother/child pairs; 
however, the researcher said he was having difficulties 
identifying definitive biological matches.  Mothers, he 
explained, often leave the camp for economic reasons, and 
entrust siblings, cousins, or even more distant relatives 
with their children.  So far, he has been able to get 
approximately 150 mother/child pairs.  A UNHCR program 
officer along with the NCR representative complained that 
refugees often sell part or all of their food allotments on 
the open market. 
 
5.  The camp enjoys a large market area, which also provides 
residents and visitors from the nearby town of Ijegbu Ode 
with a soccer pitch and two night clubs.  Camp residents have 
begun a small computer school and have also created a small 
fishpond where they farm catfish for sale.  These refugee-run 
businesses are thriving, and both the nightclubs and the 
computer school are better maintained than the housing units. 
 
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REPATRIATION? 
------------- 
 
6.  Of the many Liberians interviewed during the visit, not 
one was committed to repatriation.  UNHCR representatives say 
the desire to resettle in the U.S. has kept many of the 
occupants in the camp since 1990.  Refugees do not believe 
that the U.S. resettlement program has concluded.  The UNHCR 
is attempting to arrange repatriation for 500 refugees by 
boat in November, but so far only 120 have volunteered.  An 
information officer from Liberia will visit the camp in late 
October to convince refugees to return to Liberia. 
 
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THE LATRINE PROJECT 
------------------- 
 
7.  The over 5000 refugees at Oru do not have acceptable 
toilet facilities.  Of the approximately 15 existing 
latrines, most do not work properly.  The latrines themselves 
are narrow stalls with either a hole in the ground or a hole 
with a porcelain cover.  Handicap toilets are created by 
heaping cement blocks on top of these latrines and adding a 
makeshift seat.  Drainage pipes are buried in shallow ground, 
and sewage seeps quickly up above the ground behind the 
units.  The NRC plans to build new latrine facilities for 
four of the five housing units on the same model as the 
current ones. 
 
8.  If current construction plans continue, one housing area 
of 400 people will be left without a toilet.  The Camp 
Commandant, representing the GON on site, claims the 
residents of that compound had not supplied a suitable 
recommendation for where to locate the latrines.  Many 
refugees emerged during the visit to dispute the choice of 
the four housing complexes to receive toilet access.  In 
addition, one refugee representative claimed the NRC and the 
GON were not using refugee labor where possible and 
underpaying when they do use it.  The NRC has not yet 
provided a list of bids or possible contractors for the 
project, but an NRC representative gave assurances that 
refugee labor would be used and properly paid.  However, the 
NRC representative stated that only 18 latrine stalls could 
be built for the $20,000 as opposed to the 20 promised in the 
original proposal. 
 
9.  The NRC has also had difficulties arranging for proper 
financial controls over the $20,000 grant awarded reftel. 
Their treasurer recently retired, and a realignment of top 
officers ensued.  It has been difficult for them to find a 
replacement treasurer, and they have consequently not been 
able to create a separate account through which to disburse 
these funds and through which funds could be easily tracked. 
 
10.  A consulate official has met with UNHCR and NRC 
representatives no fewer than 4 times to expedite the 
construction of the latrines.  Post will now broker a meeting 
between the UNHCR and NRC to establish concrete deadlines for 
identifying contractors and for breaking ground on the first 
set of stalls.  Compliance with these deadlines will be the 
condition for final receipt of funds.  In addition, Post will 
send a consular officer to the camp to explain the 
resettlement program, the reasons for its discontinuation, 
and further reasons for repatriation to Liberia.  Post notes 
that a visit to the camp by one of the regional refugee 
coordinators could be very helpful and instructive for the 
refugee population. 
BROWNE