Following is a Web version of a document from USAID's 1997 Congressional Presentation. Please note that some formatting may have been lost in the automated conversion of the original file. This document is also available for download in its original WordPerfect 5.1 format.

Sustainable development in Nigeria is in the vital interest of the United States because of the size and economic activity of its population and Nigeria's demonstrated and potential impact on the stability of other West African countries. This is given further weight by the political necessity of maintaining order in this major oil-producing country and commercial hub whose economy and population movements influence the entire sub-Sahel region. The United States also has major business interests in Nigeria. Nigeria is sub-Saharan Africa's most populous nation (exceeding 100 million) and is growing at an estimated 2.8% annually -- a rate of increase that threatens to undermine its economic development and the stability of the entire region.

Nigeria has been a military dictatorship for 30 of its 35 years, having briefly experimented with democracy In 1979, 1983 and again in 1993. The country has been "decertified" by the President for each of the last three years for non- cooperation with United States anti-narcotics programs. The current military dictatorship has attracted worldwide condemnation for its disregard of the electoral will of its citizenry, as well as its record of human and civil rights abuses. The current regime has made little demonstrable progress toward returning the country to democratic rule, leading to increasing and potentially widespread civil unrest. The nation's traditionally energetic non-governmental sector, led by beleaguered pro-democracy organizations and the private mass media, is the single most important dissenting civil voice. USAID/Nigeria's exclusively nongovernmental program supports basic health care delivery to the poorest Nigerians, and the strengthening of civil society's contribution to democratic participation and respect for civil rights.

USAID plans to close its office in Nigeria within the next two years. A joint USAID/STATE review of future programming will take place in late FY 1996.

The Development Challenge.

Nigeria is one of the world's most troubled countries. Its huge population, while still predominantly rural, has shifted away from being agricultural and has rapidly urbanized in the last two decades. Nigeria now has areas of untenably high urban density in the Southwest, Southeast and North-central states -- concentrations of primarily urban poor living in circumstances that enhance the tensions of class, tribal, ethnic and religious differences. It is these unreconciled differences, in a declining and corrupt economy, that fuel persistent conflict -- erupting with increasing frequency in urban settings. The competition to control oil, in this context of unresolved differences, has compromised development. These internal conflicts now threaten the integrity of the nation.

Nigeria's economy has been in a downward spiral for two decades. The per capita gross domestic product (GDP) has declined from a high of $1,000 in the mid-1980's to an estimated $285 today. Since January 1993, the inflation rate has spiraled upward from 22% annually to 87% today, and the consumer price index, fixed at 100 in 1985, is now near 2000. Nigeria's health and social sector services deteriorated in the midst of the political crisis following the 1993 election annulment. The plight of Nigeria's vulnerable women and children has worsened. Malnutrition is now commonplace, infant and maternal mortality rates continue among the highest in the world, and immunization coverage has declined to below 30%.

Nigeria's governance crisis has a human cost. The repressive military regime threatens the very fabric of Nigerian society. Proscriptions, imprisonment, harassment and intimidation are routinely used to frighten and chill the press, labor unions, political and human rights activists -- indeed, many who would speak on behalf of civil society. Through community programs of civil education, alternative social service delivery, and human rights awareness, legitimate Nigerian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are attempting to build the confidence and competence of Nigerian communities as well as providing needed avenues of expression and social services. They are Nigeria's best hope for catalyzing solutions to its national predicament. The all-private-sector USAID/Nigeria program, while continuing to support basic health and child survival services, is now building on its extensive NGO partnerships to fully engage in strengthening Nigeria's civil society contribution to democratic participation and respect for human and civil rights.

Other Donors.

USAID and the donor community have catalyzed and are building on the ascendancy of the NGOs working at the community level. The military regime and its supporters' lack of political resolve to meet essential social needs created an unprecedented opportunity for NGO development. The United States is the largest bilateral partner in health. Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom and the European Community have smaller programs. Like the U.S. Government, all of these bilateral donors are reviewing both the size and funding levels for their programs. Most have followed the U.S. lead and are limiting their work to the social sectors and to NGOs. Other major contributors include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations agencies (UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP), the Ford Foundation, the Carter Center (Global 2000) and the African Development Bank. Many donors have worked sporadically in Democracy/Governance (DG) programs but there is now a stated commitment to go further. In this effort, the British, Canadians and the Ford Foundation are our natural partners.

FY 1997 Program.

USAID/Nigeria's program strategy responds to prevailing conditions in Nigeria and supports the U.S. policy of pressured engagement and selective sanctions. Through its unifying subgoal of community mobilization, the program addresses both the dire need for essential health care services and the need to strengthen civil society's contribution to democratic participation. Sustainable integrated health care delivery is effected through an activity in improved maternal and child health practices. USAID and State will conduct an assessment review at the end of FY 1996 to determine if family planning services and HIV/AIDS prevention activities will continue to be funded in FY 1997, based on the degree of progress toward improving the political environment and prospects for program sustainability.

A second effort in democracy governance is a platform for strengthening democratic participation and respect for human and civil rights. It focuses support on the more politicized elements of civil society, as well as on community mobilization of NGOs including women's decision making and empowerment. The USAID\Nigeria program is part of a U.S. policy of preventive diplomacy that recognizes Nigeria's strategic importance as an oil producer, major population concentration and regional military power. It directly addresses the factors limiting development: first, an exploding population that outstrips national resources and second, extraordinary high infant, child and maternal mortality. By assisting NGOs to provide essential health services such as immunizations, control of diarrhea, and maternal health services, the life prospects for Nigerians are improved and population growth is reduced.

Of paramount importance is the role of Nigeria's historically influential civil society. Nigeria's NGOs and independent press remain committed to democratic participation and respect for human rights. They also remain committed to a transition to democracy and are strategically positioned to assist in civic and electoral education, and election monitoring if and when Nigeria's stated electoral transition process becomes credible. They look to the U.S. Government for moral and material support.

Agency Goal: Stabilizing World Population Growth And Protecting Human Health

The major constraints to program implementation are the size and diversity of Nigeria's population and the logistic requirements in a country of this size. For child survival, a major constraint is the unwillingness of the military regime to reliably provide child immunizations and basic health care for those most vulnerable. Given these facts, the program has, nevertheless, made substantial gains through consolidation of its NGO relationships and completion of a comprehensive baseline assessment.