US embassy cable - 03ABUJA1300

UNCLAS ABUJA 001300 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, EAID, ECON, SENV, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR'S CONVERSATION WITH LAGOS 
GOVERNOR BOLA TINUBU 
 
1. SUMMARY.  Recently re-elected Lagos State Governor 
Bola Tinubu continues to push his three-part plan for 
improving the state through privatization, housing 
construction and environmental clean-up.  In meetings 
July 23 with senior Mission officials, Tinubu outlined 
new road rehabilitation and technology initiatives 
that specifically address the state's decrepit 
infrastructure. END SUMMARY. 
 
 
2.  On July 23, Ambassador Jeter, Consul General 
Hinson-Jones and EDDI Director Sarah Moten met 
Governor Tinubu in his Lagos office.  The meeting was 
followed by a tour of a new computer center in the 
state government's office complex and a joint ceremony 
to award 50 scholarships under the Ambassador's Girls 
Scholarship Program. 
 
 
3.  Tinubu said he plans to rehabilitate all roads in 
the state, whether Federal or State controlled.  Lagos 
State needs to step into this traditionally federal 
role because the central government has "abandoned" 
the state's highways by failing to pay 7 billion naira 
owed to the state for road maintenance, Tinubu said. 
 
 
4.  Road maintenance is particularly important to 
Tinubu to attract foreign investment.  Tinubu said he 
realizes a decrepit, over-used highway system 
discourages investors of all kinds, including those 
who might put money into an urban transit program. 
Stating that Lagos had "cars-per-road" ratio of 222 to 
1, compared to 11 for the rest of country, the 
Governor stressed Lagos needs to take ameliorative 
action now before the road situation got worse. 
 
 
5.  Tinubu also wants an additional one naira per 
liter increase in the fuel pump price to be directly 
channeled into maintenance of all roads in the state. 
"If you don't put money on the infrastructure of Lagos 
State, you're just wasting it," he said.  Such a fuel 
tax may result in geographic disparities in fuel 
prices, Tinubu said, something that he said is 
necessary to let the market decide what price is best 
for gasoline in Nigeria. 
 
 
6.  Also on the subject of roads, Tinubu praised his 
meeting with NSC Senior African Director Jendayi 
Frazier on the margins of the recent POTUS visit.  As 
a result of the meeting, Tinubu said he plans to work 
with the Governor of Georgia to improve urban 
transportation in Lagos. 
 
 
7.  With federal assistance lacking, Tinubu said he 
plans to finance this work through increased tax 
revenues that result from more efficient tax 
collection and accountability.  In the new 
Transnational Computer Technology center, Tinubu's 
administration trains state bureaucrats to use 
computers to collect, sort and check tax information 
and other data like health statistics and water usage 
patterns.  Through the center's efforts, 20 of the 
state's 36 administrative zones are already connected 
to a central database, with the rest scheduled to be 
on-line by next year.  The center's staff said tax 
revenue has already increased four-fold, with another 
two-fold increase expected by next year. 
 
 
8. In other remarks, Tinubu said Lagos is talking with 
the World Bank to install a 1000-megawatt generator 
for Lagos alone so that the State can operate 
independently of the national grid.  He also discussed 
technical education and said he wants a series of 
"alternative schools" or "community colleges" to act 
as intermediate skills training centers feeding the 
state's manufacturing industry.  Lastly, Tinubu 
outlined the state's need for a new wastemanagement 
center and his work to improve the usage of drainage 
dams from 20% to 70% efficiency. 
 
 
9. COMMENT.  The real needs of Lagos State are 
monumental and continue to challenge Tinubu.  However, 
he is attempting to respond and his efforts at 
infrastructural improvements are noticed and 
appreciated by the Lagosians who give him high marks 
for trying to build foundations for sustainable 
development in the State.  Tinubu intends to follow up 
his urban transportation and other development ideas 
by seeking partnerships with the state of Georgia. 
END COMMENT. 
 
 
LIBERI