Nigeria is one of the poorest countries on earth, where one in five children die before their fifth birthday. It is being made to pay £7.2 billion ($12.4 billion) in just six months to rich countries as part of a debt cancellation deal – and the biggest part is coming to the UK.

Email Gordon Brown and urge him to return the UK's share

The debt deal covers Nigeria’s $30 billion debt to 14 rich countries. Of this, $18 billion is being cancelled. But Nigeria is having to pay the other $12.4 billion – 40% of the total – to rich countries upfront.

The $12.4 billion (£7.2 billion) that Nigeria is paying to wealthy countries in six months is more than the 2005 Gleneagles debt deal will deliver to poor countries in a decade.

The $3 billion (£1.7 billion) that Nigeria is paying to the UK in six months is twice as much as the UK Department for International Development gave to the whole of Africa in 2005.

Act - send an email to Gordon Brown
Please email to urge the UK government to return the £1.7 billion it is about to receive from Nigeria, one of the poorest countries on earth.

LATEST NEWS 22/02/06:The government have responded to our pressure click here to find out what they say and what you can do