USAID/OTI Nigeria Field Report
March 27 - April 10, 2000
Country Situation
Tense disputes between President Obasanjo and the National
Assembly have broken out over the budget and handling of financial
matters. They were further inflamed when a controversial Senator,
Arthur Nzeribe, submitted a motion to impeach President Obasanjo
alleging unspecified acts of corruption. Nzeribe's motion caused
uproar in the Senate and drew a sharp rebuke from the President's
spokesman and several Senators. The local press widely reported U.S.
Under Secretary Pickering's arrival as part of an effort to restore
the working relationship between the President and the National
Assembly. Disputes that divide the two branches include the budget,
the Niger Delta Development Commission, the anti-corruption bill and
the purchase of a presidential aircraft. Local media reports of
these disputes have sparked complaints among legislators that the
media favors the presidency.
On the state level, lawmakers' actions are raising
questions about their priorities in spending public funds. Examples
included a Lagos "Constituency Project Development Bill"
that permits assemblymen free housing, a furniture allowance and
cars, and a special fund that allows them to spend 57.5 million
Naira on projects of their own choosing. Speakers of the State
Assemblies were removed in Kano and Delta States amid accusations of
considerable sums of money changing hands.
Nineteen governors from northern states agreed to suspend
implementation of the Sharia code. Their communiqué stated
that they would form a committee composed of Muslim and Christian
leaders to discuss "aspects of the Sharia code not included in
(Nigeria's) Penal Code and arrive at a consensus for adoption."
Emirs and chiefs from the North established a 30-person committee to
reconcile implementation of the Sharia code with provisions from
both the 1979 and 1999 constitutions.
A fresh outbreak of violence in Kaduna erupted when Muslim youths
protested the shooting of one of their number by the police. Three
churches were burned along with other property belonging to
Christians. The Kaduna State government has instituted a program to
provide vocational training to 20,000 young people to prevent them
from being exploited and used in violent confrontations. Police in
Osun State announced the arrest of twelve young men and the seizure
of a substantial cache of weapons as part of their continuing effort
to restore peace between the Ife and Modakeke communities.
A series of violent clashes over the return of former Governor
(under Gen. Abacha) Alhaji Awwal Ibrahim as the Emir of Suleja,
resulted in the arrests and arraignment of twenty-one people,
including the chairman of the Suleja Emirate, Alhaji Shuaibu Barda.
Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, said it is the primary
responsibility of traditional rulers to ensure peace and prevent
loss of life and property. He threatened to withdraw recognition
from and dethrone any ruler who failed to mediate inter-communal
disputes, especially those involving land ownership. Communal
clashes continued in Edo State when Ijaw youths launched attacks
against Itsekiri communities. Fresh fighting also erupted between
the Eleme and the Okrika communities in Rivers State sparking fuel
scarcity in several cities around the country.
Governors from Nigeria's South/South and North/Central zones
announced their opposition to transforming Nigeria into a
confederation, reversing an earlier stand. Their counterparts in the
North had earlier stated their opposition.
In Rivers State, the Shell Petroleum Development Company has
suspended operations in Ogoniland. Citing the "volatile nature
of the area," Shell announced that it "did not intend to
resume operations for now."
OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
OTI/Nigeria's major transition themes continue to
reflect the priorities of Nigeria's democratic transition.
Issues in the news indicate a strong convergence between current
events and current USAID/OTI projects.
National Programming Activity
POLICE REFORM: A seven-member team, organized by OTI and led by
U.S. Ambassador Twaddell, completed an assessment of the Nigerian
police, and concluded that there may be a role for the international
donor community to help Nigeria with police reform.
The team met with representatives of the Nigerian
government, civil society groups, representatives from the private
sector, and other donors. The trip included visits to training
academies, police stations, police barracks, and oil company sites
in the Niger Delta. In addition, representatives from various
stakeholder groups gathered together for a roundtable to discuss
priorities for the reorientation of the police.
There was consensus by the team that the international donor
community can play a role in assisting the Government of Nigeria to
re-professionalize the police. The GON has a 5-year plan for police;
however, it is a conceptual document with no clear implementation
plan. Both the Minister of Police Affairs and the Inspector General
of Police requested technical assistance to help the GON develop an
action plan with specific activities that will be prioritized for
implementation. This will help them channel their funds in an
efficient manner. OTI will consider funding the implementation plan,
which will serve as the starting point for U.S. government
assistance in this area.
MEDIA: The Institute of World Affairs (IWA) launched a two-week
journalism and Internet training project for twenty-two Nigerian
journalists. During the first week, participants sharpened their
professional skills, particularly conflict reporting. In the second
week, they learned how to use the Internet as an information and
search tool and practiced conducting "virtual" discussions
on line. A byproduct of this week's training was the
opportunity to scrutinize and critique the coverage of conflicts
that were reported daily in the local press.
In the next phase of the project, each of these participants will
train ten other journalists in the use of the Internet. Fifteen
computers with Internet hook-ups, three for each of the five sites,
will be installed at designated sites in Lagos, Abuja, Port
Harcourt, Enugu and Kano that will serve as both training centers
and designated Internet nodes for journalists. In all cases, except
Lagos, these sites are located at the joint offices of the Nigerian
Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the National Association of Women
Journalists (NAWOJ). The computer equipment, Internet and training
will help these offices evolve into modern journalism centers.
Regional Programming Activities
CORRUPTION: In an effort to use drama to combat corruption,
the National Association of Nigerian Theater Arts Practitioners
(NANTAP), with funding from OTI/Nigeria, held a two-day seminar and
a four-day run of a play entitled "Who's Afraid of
Solarin" (an adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's "The Inspector
General"). The strong turnout for the play, a reception and an
"advocacy evening" with senior officials from Lagos State
government indicated that this was a successful addition to OTI's
anti-corruption programming.
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: OTI/Nigeria funded a two-day workshop
for the State House of Assembly from Akwa Ibom State. Forty
legislators attended, including the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of
the House. Presented by Obong-Manuel Ventures and designed and
facilitated by OTI's Country Director, the workshop emphasized
a new approach to conflict management that emphasizes successes
instead of challenges. The workshop was specifically designed to
help these legislators address the many conflicts that confront
them, both internally and externally, while assisting them to focus
as a team on their daily mandate of law-making and their obligations
to the electorate.
The Women's Center for Leadership, Development Research and
Training (CELDERT) facilitated two, two-day interactive forums and
capacity-building training for groups that have been engaging in
violent conflict. During the workshops, representatives of the
Yoruba-based Oodua People's Congress (OPC) and the largely
Hausa-based Arewa People's Congress (APC) learned conflict
management and prevention skills that will help them diffuse
conflicts as they arise.
OTI Nigeria supported two Training of Trainers workshops on
conflict management organized by the Ecumenical Commission for
Justice and Peace. Conducted in Benue State, Gboko, the workshops
were designed to address local conflicts arising from land disputes
and chieftancy succession issues. Participants came from the
leadership echelons of religious, community, youth and women's
organizations in five local government areas.
CIVIL MILITARY: OTI/Nigeria supported
Associate Data Systems' two-week workshop in Calabar for twenty
retired military officers (captain and above) to develop their
computer and job-search skills. Easing their re-entry into civil
society helps remove the threat they pose as potential
"spoilers" to the democratic transition.
B. Grants Activity Summary
OTI Nigeria grant numbers break down as follows,
FY00:
Total number of grants: 91 $2,190,544.30
Total number of contracts: 1 $ 192,686
Total committed:
$2,383,230.46
Grant numbers by sector:
|
Civilian/Military |
1 grant
1 contract |
$4,577
$192,686 |
|
Conflict Resolution |
25 grants |
$762,042.69 |
|
Dialogue & Advocacy |
1 grant |
$2,000 |
|
Anti-corruption |
11 grants |
$529,550.89 |
|
Fiscal Federalism |
4 grants |
$120,853.98 |
|
NGO Capacity Building |
2 grants |
$215,413 |
|
Good Governance |
9 grants |
$ 66,064.29 |
|
Civic Education |
6 grants |
$ 155,341.48 |
|
Media |
17 grants |
$ 173,847.81 |
|
Economic Growth/Reform |
8 grants |
$ 130,345.21 |
|
Women |
6 grants |
$ 31,506.92 |
FY99 & FY00 Total grants and contracts:
$9,428,361.78
C. Coordination
The Media
Coordinator briefed members of a European Community inspection team
on OTI's media programming. They expressed interest in small, speedy
grant disbursals as a method to assist media professionals to
support the democratic transition.
OTI is closely coordinating the potential police program with
other U.S. government agencies -- particularly the Department
of State, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Embassy in
Nigeria. In addition, the U.S. government team is coordinating and
collaborating with the British International Development Agency
(DFID) to ensure that programs funded by each agency are synergistic
and not duplicative.
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