US embassy cable - 05ABUJA2138

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002138 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, ECON, KISL, PGOV, SOCI, NI 
SUBJECT: Embassy on Road in Nigeria: Sokoto 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  On October 12-14, Ambassador and members 
of Embassy Public Affairs, Political, Economic and Defense 
Cooperation Sections decamped to the far northwestern state 
of Sokoto, doing two Iftar dinners, outreach events, and 
taking a closer look at education facilities in a region 
that suffers from the lowest female literacy rate in 
Nigeria.  A relatively progressive governor is directing 
state funds to education, but reportedly controls access to 
the best facilities personally.  Meetings with alumni from 
both university and high school-level U.S. exchange programs 
confirmed the significant positive impact that programs have 
for participants and their communities. Local audiences, 
including journalists, tended to focus questions on U.S 
foreign policy in the Middle East, sharia law, and an 
occasional foray into Nigerian Presidential politics. End 
Summary. 
 
Sokoto 
------ 
 
2. (U) On October 12-14, the Ambassador accompanied by 
Public Affairs, Economic and Political Counselors, and a 
number of staff members from each section visited the far 
northwestern state of Sokoto.  Sokoto played a major role in 
Northern Nigerian history, especially as a center of Islamic 
tradition and scholarship. It remains the dwelling place of 
the Sultan of Sokoto, the traditional and spiritual leader 
of Nigerian Muslims. A semi-arid region, the end of the 
rainy season found it looking unexpectedly lush.  The 
governor said rains had been very good this year and the 
state was expecting its best harvests in recent memory. 
 
Meetings with the Governor 
-------------------------- 
 
3. (U) Ambassador met with Sokoto State Governor Attahiru 
Bafawara, now in his second term. One of the more visible 
governors for the opposition party, ANPP, he is also a 
leading spokesman for the North. He is considered one of 
Nigeria's better governors, a supporter of more fiscal 
transparency, and a champion of education. He told the 
Ambassador that he was not interested in seeking a third 
term; eight years should be enough to accomplish a program. 
He felt progress had been made in the state, saying the 
problem was not a lack of resources, but proper management 
of resources. He said with pride that he had created a 
contingency fund of 30 million Naira to deal with unexpected 
expenses. On the future of the ANPP, He said Bhari had not 
indicated whther he would be a candidate for President and 
he felt the current leadership had failed to develop the 
party and it was losing relevance.  After the meeting, a 
member of the Office of Defense Cooperation did a brief 
presentation for the Governor and State Council on ODC 
programs. 
 
4. (SBU) In a less-formal setting the previous evening with 
Poloffs, Governor Bafarawa stressed the importance of 
President Olusegun Obasanjo stepping down in 2007 without 
any attempts to continue his hold on power.  Strongly 
emphasizing the angst northern Muslims felt towards the 
Obasanjo administration, the Governor indicated his belief 
that any attempt to change the constitution or otherwise 
attempt to stay in power would result in a "crisis" in the 
north.  He vented about the lack of federal funding for 
infrastructure initiatives in his state and elsewhere in the 
north, specifically citing the poor road conditions and 
minimal federal funding for education and health care. 
 
Boosting Education, For Some 
---------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) Much of the afternoon was spent touring education 
facilities being upgraded and expanded under the support of 
the governor. The Embassy team toured a boarding school for 
both girls and boys equipped with science and computer labs 
and generally an impressive range of facilities.  The 
governor said 120 million Naira had been devoted to the 
facility, nearly ten million dollars.  It was clearly an 
elite institution, and one state worker complained quietly 
to one delegation member that the governor personally 
decided whose children would be allowed or not allowed to 
attend. A similar sense of quality over quantity was present 
at the visit to the newly upgraded polytechnic, which was 
being equipped with new computer-controlled metal working 
equipment.  Female literacy in the region is only about 20%, 
and many children, especially girls do not attend schools at 
all. One cannot help asking whether 20 half-million dollar 
village schools would not be a better investment than a 10 
million dollar elite boarding school. Still, it was 
heartening to see government funds spent on schools, rather 
than simply disappear. 
 
Islamic Scholars 
---------------- 
 
6. (U) Ambassador and country team members met with the 
Sultan and members of the Islamic Council to exchange views. 
After the Ambassador presented President Bush's Ramadan 
greeting, the scholars gently grilled the U.S. team on 
foreign policy and the U.S. attitude toward sharia law. 
Ambassador reminded the Council that Saddam Hussein had been 
no friend of Islam and had persecuted Muslim leaders in 
Iraq.  Attendees said that sharia applied only to Muslims 
and Islam fully respected women as equals.  The only women 
present at the discussion, however, were those on the 
Embassy team.  The Embassy team attended Iftars to break 
fast on the first night with the governor, whose wife held a 
separate event for the women, and on the second night with 
the Sultan, where everyone attended a single event. 
A Day at the University 
------------------------ 
7. (U) Education and Islamic scholarship continued as themes 
the next day, spent mainly at the University of Sokoto. 
Post Information Resource Officer did a presentation on U.S. 
resources for Islamic scholars available on the internet, 
and arranged to return for more in-depth training.  The team 
met with university faculty, which included two female 
professors, one of whom had been a Fulbright scholar. A 
meeting with alumni of U.S. educational exchanges, including 
the YES program for high school students, reaffirmed the 
positive impact that these programs have on participants and 
their communities.  Professors and graduate students had 
broadened their horizons, but it was the high school 
students who stole the show.  Eight-ten students had spent a 
year in Iowa, impressed by pizza, computers and snow.  Their 
most lasting impressions, however, were of a warm and 
friendly welcome by Americans, an interest in learning about 
Nigeria and a respect for religion. Sought out by neighbors 
and schoolmates on return, they were able to provide a 
firsthand positive picture about America that overturned 
some stereotypes. Further they have formed "peace" clubs to 
share some of the ideas they picked up in their time in the 
U.S. and to engage in conflict resolution The governor is 
funding scholarships for additional students to study 
technical subjects in the U.S. 
 
Meet the Press 
-------------- 
 
8. (U) The Ambassador gave several radio and T.V. interviews 
and held a press roundtable during the trip, which received 
excellent local coverage.  The President's Ramadan message 
got wide dissemination, along with U.S. participation in the 
Iftars and site visits.  The press questions focused mainly 
on foreign policy, but there was also interest in what 
position the U.S would take in Nigeria's upcoming 
presidential elections. Overall the trip considerably raised 
the U.S. profile in the state and provided residents with 
the chance to hear U.S. positions directly from Americans, 
putting many common themes in new perspectives.  The 
Governor commented several times that this was the first 
time a U.S. or western ambassador had paid such an official 
visit. CAMPBELL