DFID's Programme in Nigeria
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House of Commons International Development Committee DFID's Programme in Nigeria Eighth Report of Session 2008–09 Volume II Oral and written evidence Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 13 October 2009 HC 840-II Published on 23 October 2009 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £0.00 International Development Committee The International Development Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for International Development and its associated public bodies. Current membership Malcolm Bruce MP (Liberal Democrat, Gordon) (Chairman) John Battle MP (Labour, Leeds West) Hugh Bayley MP (Labour, City of York) Richard Burden MP (Labour, Birmingham Northfield) Mr Nigel Evans MP (Conservative, Ribble Valley) Mr Mark Hendrick MP (Labour Co-op, Preston) Daniel Kawczynski MP (Conservative, Shrewsbury and Atcham) Mr Mark Lancaster MP (Conservative, Milton Keynes North East) Mr Virendra Sharma (Labour, Ealing Southall) Mr Marsha Singh MP (Labour, Bradford West) Andrew Stunell (Liberal Democrat, Hazel Grove) John Bercow MP (Conservative, Buckingham) and Mr Stephen Crabb MP (Conservative, Preseli Pembrokeshire) were also members of the Committee during this inquiry. Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/indcom Committee staff The staff of the Committee are Carol Oxborough (Clerk), Keith Neary (Second Clerk), Anna Dickson (Committee Specialist), Chlöe Challender (Committee Specialist), Ian Hook (Senior Committee Assistant), Vanessa Hallinan (Committee Assistant), John Kittle (Committee Support Assistant), and Alex Paterson (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the International Development Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 1223; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] DFID’s Programme in Nigeria 1 Witnesses Tuesday 30 June 2009 Page Dr Raufu Mustapha, Lecturer in African Politics, Oxford Department for Ev 1 International Development, Mr Sam Unom, Independent Consultant and Mr Michael Peel, Legal Correspondent, Financial Times Tuesday 7 July 2009 Mr Aboubacry Tall, West and Central Africa Regional Director, Save the Ev 16 Children and Ms Julia Ajayi, Nigeria Country Director, VSO Thursday 16 July 2009 Mr Gareth Thomas MP, Minister of State, Department for International Ev 30 Development, Mr Eamon Cassidy, Head, DFID Nigeria and Ms Beverley Warmington, Director, West and Southern Africa, DFID List of written evidence Professor Sani Abba Aliyu Ev 45 Amnesty International Ev 45 Association of Commonwealth Universities and The British Academy Ev 47 Department for International Development Ev 50; 85 Jubilee Scotland Ev 70 Lifebuilders Ev 71 Nigeria Leadership Initiative Ev 71 Rev Emmanuel Odoemene Ev 75 Michael Peel Ev 78 John Rowley Ev 78; 79 Save the Children UK Ev 80 Society for the Widows and Orphans Ev 82 VSO Nigeria Ev 83 Shell UK Ltd Ev 107 List of unprinted written evidence The following written evidence has been reported to the House, but to save printing costs it has not been printed and copies have been placed in the House of Commons Library, where it may be inspected by Members. Other copies are in the Parliamentary Archives, and are available to the public for inspection. Requests for inspection should be addressed to The Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0PW (tel. 020 7219 3074). Opening hours are from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm on Mondays to Fridays. DFID Nigeria, Growth & Employment in States (GEMS)—Technical Annex, April 2009 Processed: 19-10-2009 18:44:04 Page Layout: COENEW [SO] PPSysB Job: 434881 Unit: PAG1 International Development Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the International Development Committee on Tuesday 30 June 2009 Members present Malcolm Bruce, in the Chair John Battle Andrew Stunell Hugh Bayley Witnesses: Dr Raufu Mustapha, Lecturer in African Politics, Oxford Department for International Development, Mr Sam Unom, Independent Consultant and Mr Michael Peel, Legal Correspondent, Financial Times, gave evidence. Q1 Chairman: Thank you, good morning and This has historically been the situation, but recently welcome. I wonder, first of all, if you would just there has been a much more personalised element in introduce yourselves so we have that on the record. this fight, as individuals fight for their own control Dr Mustapha: My name is Abdul Raufu Mustapha. over political and economic resources. So I would I teach African Politics and Development Studies at say that governance is certainly an issue, because the Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford University. elite are not able to have a coherent picture of where Mr Peel: I am Michael Peel. I am a Financial Times they want to take the country. Some of them are journalist. I used to be the correspondent based in more interested in their personal ambitions. Nigeria and I have written a book on Nigeria and oil which is due to come out in September. Q3 Chairman: So it is a combination or division Mr Unom: I am Sam Unom. I am an independent between selfish and perhaps less selfish aspirations of consultant. I used to work with DFID in Nigeria and the rulers? the UNDP1 and I have been a consultant to both Dr Mustapha: Lack of a plan to start with, and then in Nigeria. the substitution of personal agendas for a collective agenda. Q2 Chairman: We have got about an hour and a half. Mr Unom: There has been no compelling vision to Please feel free, but you do not all have to answer all commit to a future that is broadly agreed upon the questions so we move things along. Thank you amongst the elite and shared with the population. So very much indeed for coming. As you know, the the personal agendas that Dr Mustapha has referred Committee visited Nigeria earlier this month. Whilst to substitute for that lack of shared vision. They take it is a huge country and we could not really get the place of what should be a vision. DFID’s mission anything other than a feel for certain aspects of it, I is that they are willing to provide technical assistance hope it has given us a better perspective than we had to help Nigeria solve the problems that can be solved obviously before we went—that is the point of these with international help, but the commitment of the visits. The big issue, and certainly being briefed by country itself to doing that is patchy and uneven, so DFID and the British High Commission, is the you find it in pockets here and there. You find that issues of governance, the context of saying this is a the overarching vision that will be the basis for challenging environment, which is a kind of mobilising a consensus for going forward has been a euphemism for real diYculties. I just wondered if I problem. could ask you collectively whether that is the biggest problem, the lack of eVective governance? Indeed, Q4 Chairman: If it is an issue eVectively of leadership within that context, what are the key failings of and you mentioned vision, the President has his own governance? What are the weaknesses? Is it the lack vision—Vision 20/20—with his various points. I of capacity in terms of the quality of the ministers, think we heard of a seven point agenda and then the oYcials, or is it institutional failures? What are somebody said that it should really be a two point the real things? Is governance the issue and, if so, agenda. Is that a vision; and is it something that what aspects of governance is most vulnerable or could deliver an improvement in governance and a most weak? more unified approach to leadership? Dr Mustapha: I think governance is certainly an Mr Peel: The answer to these questions is obviously issue in Nigeria. Maybe it is not so much lack of complicated. I come from a very particular capacity, as lack of the organisation and the perspective which I think is nevertheless one that has institutional business to pool the capacities together. a real broader importance, and that is the role of oil. The Nigerian elite for various reasons are divided Nigeria is quite unusual in an African context, in and they do not have a common vision of where they that the aid budget, of DFID or anyone else, is really want to lead the country. They spend most of the miniscule compared with the revenues that are paid time quarrelling and fighting amongst each other. out from oil. In a sense Abuja can always take or leave a DFID programme or anything else, because 1 UN Development Programme. of the dominant role of the oil industry. I think Processed: 19-10-2009 18:44:04 Page Layout: COENEW [E] PPSysB Job: 434881 Unit: PAG1 Ev 2 International Development Committee: Evidence 30 June 2009 Dr Raufu Mustapha, Mr Sam Unom and Mr Michael Peel looking at the role of oil, which was first exported Q6 Chairman: Perhaps I could ask the other two two years before the end of colonialism, it has come witnesses if they feel DFID has a role to play? to dominate the economy. Despite little reforms Dr Mustapha: I think the DFID project may be around the edges, not much has changed in terms of small relative to what the Nigerian Government gets the role that it plays.