Nigerian CDA Pilot Program, Week 3

Week 3: Arrival in Yenagoa: Taking care of the details. 

I flew into Port Harcourt from Abuja with Governor Silva himself. We arrived at night, and set off into the dark in a motorcade of flashing lights and black SUVs. While driving through Rivers State, we weaved around potholes and difficult roads. You knew you were in Bayelsa State by the drastic improvement in road quality—in Bayelsa the roads are nice and well maintained, there are divided lane highways, streetlights that work and clear signs of infrastructure. I was pretty impressed—I’ve traveled a bit in Nigeria before, and it is rare to find such nice roads.

The next day was to be the Governor’s birthday, which luckily I had prepared for—I brought a small gift and card with me from Abuja. For his birthday, the Governor established a foundation for widows, the elderly and youths. Improving the lot of vulnerable people was the theme of the day, and there was even a lecture on the Millennium Development Goals. The birthday lunch took place in a beautiful green and white tent. At his celebration, Governor Silva went out of his way to greet me, and told me that he had spoken to my Bayelsan counterpart. I gave him his birthday gift and card, which he seemed to appreciate. 

Later that week, I met with the Commissioner of Finance who reiterated the need for clear inter-ministerial relations and responsibilities. So, I wrote a Memo to the Governor requesting the establishment of an Advisory Committee for the Child Development Account Pilot Program. Like in the US, getting different government agencies to communicate well with each other is always challenging, so it is good we’re figuring this out early. I also managed to review some of the research intervention tools we plan to use.

This week was mostly about logistics—settling into my new home, figuring out my car and transportation, food, and other things. I even had a houseguest the first weekend—a friend who is doing her PhD on the Niger Delta. With her, we set up my house, made some friends and generally got a sense of Yenagoa. I’ve also connected with my local religious community (I’m a Buddhist), which is nice! I even got set up with internet, and set up my phone’s data plan.

Watched the World Cup with Nigerians, Lebanese, a German, an American, a South African and a Dutch man. Not a bad scene for Yenagoa! Next week I should meet some of the Ministries, and start figuring out my office, staff and related issues. Wish me luck!