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USAID/OTI Nigeria Program Description: November 2000
After 15
years of
uninterrupted military dictatorship, Nigeria held free elections in February 1999. President Obasanjo was sworn in on May 29, 1999, and has been hailed as a leader who could advance democracy and national reconciliation. However, regional and ethnic tensions, economic instability, a military coup, and corruption are threatening the new government.
| 4/99 |
9/01 |
$8,487,000 |
$8,904,869 |
As part of a larger U.S. presence, OTI quickly positioned itself to mitigate these threats. OTI launched its program in April 1999 with an initial focus of helping civilians assert control over the military and training newly elected leaders in good governance.
After close consultation with U.S. government and Nigerian partners on the fragile civilian-military relationship, OTI paired a specialized U.S.-based consulting firm with a Nigerian team to develop a comprehensive action plan for improvement in this area. An early buy-in from both governments provided support for the action plan's implementation. A 1999 independent assessment indicated that measures put into practice as a result of the plan have contributed to easing the transition from military to civilian rule.
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| OTI's program in Nigeria tries to build a more objective, balanced media. |
In partnership with USAID's Center for Democracy and Governance and Management Systems International, OTI conducted training for all 10,300 newly elected officials in Nigeria, including all governors and National Assembly members and more than half of all locally elected officials. The training was held throughout Nigeria during a six-week period in the spring of 1999 and focused on the basic building blocks of democracy-how government is organized, how to manage resources, what it means to be transparent and accountable, and how to dampen conflict. An assessment of the training program found that it helped give officials the focus and direction they needed, contributed to a more open leadership approach, and stimulated an enabling environment of democratic governance both for the new leaders and for the people they represent.
When Nigerian officials told OTI that aspects of their training helped them address strife among each other as well as in their own communities, OTI added a new program component in conflict mitigation. Drawing on international and local experts, OTI sponsored the creation of a nationwide conflict management training program, with special emphasis on conflict-prone areas. OTI trained 1,200 trainers nationwide to teach techniques for avoiding, mitigating, and resolving disputes in their local communities.
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| Mr. A. Gudugi, an OTI program manager in Abuja, greets Senator Florence Ita Giwa and Mrs. Onikepo Oshodi during OTI's good governance training. |
OTI is also supporting local civil society groups that are working on issues of reform, including anticorruption. OTI grantees supported the formulation of a public-private sector integrity pact that was adopted by the government to promote transparency in public contracting, and helped draft a "Code of Ethics for Parliamentarians" that was adopted by the House of Representatives and is under consideration in the Senate.
OTI continues to respond to new threats to Nigeria's transition to democracy as they emerge. Recently, when Nigeria was faced with chronic blackouts and energy shortages, OTI funded a diagnostic evaluation of the country's National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). NEPA's leadership welcomed the results and recommendations, which have laid the foundation for activities that USAID's Global Bureau will pursue in energy-sector reform.
OTI is also exploring ways to assist the Government of Nigeria (GON) with a reform plan for the Nigerian Police Force, which is underpaid, ill-equipped and poorly trained. OTI is working with the GON to develop a plan designed to improve the professionalism and effectiveness of the force and ensure it respects human rights and the rule of law. The plan will facilitate partnerships among the government, public, civil society groups, and the international donor community to help build a responsible and accountable police force, an important step to enhancing security for Nigerian citizens.
Finally, OTI supports activities that enhance media coverage of transition issues by promoting an ethical, balanced, and responsive media and providing training and technical assistance. Media grants include support for enhanced Voice of America (VOA) programming (the only broadcaster capable of nationwide coverage), Internet training, and equipment for local journalists.
Training for Good Governance: What Nigerian elected officials said about OTI's Training for Good Governance:
"There are certain cardinal prerequisites that need to be known. Newcomers didn't know what to expect, i.e. the processes, the steps of how to process a bill, the steps to dealing with a bill in all detail...the training was very important to our understanding of these concepts."
"Before now, I thought that once you got elected, you wait for people to come to you with their problems or views. After the training, I realized it is important to go to the people, visit them in their homes, and reach out to them with information on the latest issues being addressed. Hearing their problems equips you for action."
"Our leadership is so open to people, we speak with them freely, we go to them, and they come to us. In the past, people had no choice of who ran government." |
OTI is scheduled to exit Nigeria in fall 2001, handing off activities to other U.S. government agencies, the Government of Nigeria, or other donors as necessary.
OTI's partners in Nigeria include USAID's Center for Democracy and Governance, the USAID Mission, the U.S. Department of State, Department of Justice, Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense, the British Council, the European Union, UNIFEM, UNESCO, the World Bank, Louis Berger Inc., Management Systems International, MPRI, the Voice of America, the Institute for World Affairs, and many local NGOs.
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