PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
U.S. Ambassador John Campbell Concludes Outreach Trip to Northern Nigeria
Date: February 4 - 6, 2007
Venue: Sokoto
U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell reached out to millions of northern Nigerians during a trip to Sokoto, Zaria and Kano, February 4 to 6, 2007. The purpose of the trip was to tell the entire Muslim community in Nigeria that America treasures their friendship and honors their faith.
During his trip Ambassador Campbell met with traditional rulers, government officials, university and educational leaders, representatives of non governmental organizations and youth. Among the personages he met with was His Eminence Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the 20th Sultan of Sokoto, His Excellency Alhaji A.D. Bafarawa, the Executive Governor of Sokoto State, His Excellency Alhaji Chiso Abdullahi Dattijo, Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, His Excellency Mahmud Shinkafi, Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, His Highness Wamban Kano, Senior Counselor Kano Emirate Council, who represented the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Dr. Ado Bayero, Tijjani Naniya, Commissioner of Education, Kano State, Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Vice Chancellor, Usmanu DanFodio University, Sokoto, Professor Shehu Usman Abdullahi, Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Professor Attahiru M. Jega, Vice Chancellor, Bayero University of Kano.
In Sokoto Ambassador Campbell paid a courtesy visit to His Eminence Highness Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the 20th Sultan of Sokoto. His Eminence pledged his support for U.S. government programs especially health care programs, including polio eradication.
Ambassador Campbell commissioned an American Corner library at Usmanu DanFodio University, donated a collection of books to Governor Bafarawa’s Attahiru Bafarawa Institute for Quranic and General Studies, and, along with Governor Bafarawa, launched a new Obstetric Fistula center located in the Maryam Abacha Womens and Children Hospital.
In Zaria Ambassador Campbell presented a lecture on Democracy, Elections and Non-vilence to political science faculty and students at Ahmadu Bello University.
Later that day he conferred 30 ACCESS Micro-Scholarships scholarships to secondary school students at the Demonstration Secondary School of ABU to enable them stay in school. The ACCESS Micro-Scholarship Program helps needy but brilliant high school students acquire a good education through enhanced English language teaching.
The following day Ambassador Campbell and his entourage traveled to Kano where he was received by both His Highness Wamban Kano, Senior Counselor Kano Emirate Council, who represented the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Dr. Ado Bayero, and Tijjani Naniya the Commissioner of Education, ably representing His Excellency Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Governor, Kano State.
Ambassador Campbell and Commissioner of Education Tijjani Naniya commissioned a borehole at the Sharada Secondary School. The borehole will provide clean drinking water for thousands of students who attend the school. In Northern Nigeria, the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation is working in partnership with USAID on the construction of boreholes, seed storage facilities and the repair of school buildings.
Following that event he conferred 30 ACCESS Micro-Scholarships scholarships to secondary school students at the Bayero University Staff Secondary School.
Finally, he visited Shabab Muslimina Islamiyya primary school to present them with a collection of children’s books. The Kano State Universal Basic Education Board, the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s COMPASS Project, and the headmaster, teachers, parents and administrators of the school cooperated on a joint project to improve the schools facilities for the students and teachers. This is part of the USG effort to supporting quality basic education, to reach the Investing in People objective which focuses primarily on strengthening human capacity to promote and sustain success.
