What's New

The fourth in a series of articles in which Hester Ross follows the progress of the Queen's Jubilee Baton through the Commonwealth and focuses on debt related issues encountered along the way. This week the baton arrives in Nigeria.

In his famous "Change the World" speech to the Labour Party conference last October, Tony Blair called for "A Partnership for Africa". More aid (untied to trade), debt to be written off, help with good governance and infrastructure, and free trade. On Africa's side true democracy and an end to corruption would however be essential.

Nigeria's President Obasanjo whose new democratic government is pledged to deliver exactly those requirements might well have expected great things to come. Bear in mind too Nigeria's crucial role as peacekeeper in troubled Africa, and it could surely be assumed that substantial international support for the fledging democracy would be top priority.

Sadly, exactly the opposite seems true and the fragile democracy continues to be milked dry by the demands of her creditors, Britain included, as Nigeria is asked to pay 15 times as much in servicing debts run up by previous corrupt military dictatorships as it does in poverty reduction. Democracy is fragile and to be successful the new government badly needs to demonstrate that it works. The 'democratic dividend" in terms of real poverty reduction needs to be delivered. The legacy of debt repayment is seriously hampering this initiative as Nigeria will spend US$1.7 billion yearly on servicing debt and only US$ 300 million on health.

Originally a HIPC country, and therefore qualifying for debt relief, Nigeria mysteriously lost this status in 1998. True, oil revenues help the economy but still amount to a mere $100 for each of her 110 million people, over 70% of whom exist on less than $1 a day. Debt campaigners maintain that the reasons given for loss of status are spurious and inconsistent with policy towards other indebted countries. The sad conclusion is that creditor nations felt it was simply against their interests to cancel Nigeria's debts. So much for Blair's "interdependent world".

Nigeria's status as a poor nation is not in question. It's the same story we hear all over Africa as debt repayments far outweigh spending on health and education. In human terms the cost is appalling. One in ten children die at birth. Maternal mortality is one of the highest in the world.

"The state of Africa is a scar on the conscience of the world. But if the world as a community focussed on it, we could heal it. And if we don't it will become deeper and angrier." Write to Tony Blair, remind him of his wonderful words, and ask him to apply them to Nigeria.

(Visit www.jubileescotland.org.uk for more on Scotland's debt campaign or e-mail mail@jubileescotland.org.uk )

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