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Debt campaign
Gordon Brown - Don't take the shirt off Nigeria's back!
Campaign update: In the first six months of 2006, as part of a deal to write off part of Nigeria’s debt the UK government received $3bn (£1.7 bn) in repayments. That is twice as much as the UK Department for International Development gave to the whole of Africa in 2005.
Get shirty with Gordon!
UK Treasury coffers were swollen by a massive windfall in January when the government took £800 million in debt repayments from Nigeria, with another £900 million in May. Yet the Government has said that all the world's poorest countries need full debt cancellation, that Nigeria needs more aid not less, and that this money could save over 4 million lives if spent on poverty reduction!
WDM targets budget day protest at mean-spirited Gordon Brown. 22 March 2006. Read more.
Nigeria is one of the world's poorest countries, where 20% of children do not reach their 5th birthday, and over 80 million people live on less than 65p a day. Yet it has been required to hand over £7.2 billion ($12 billion) to rich countries as part of an overall deal which will also see £12 billion ($18 billion) of debt cancelled.
The biggest beneficiary is the UK which through this deal has taken more out of poor countries in this one debt repayment than it will contribute to the whole G8 debt deal for the next 30 years.
A Nigerian woman hands over a cheque for £1.7 billion to Gordon Brown and Tony Blair during a WDM and JDC stunt in December 2005 outside Parliament.
Nigeria has long been handicapped by debts run up by past dictators, and has repeatedly asked for full debt cancellation. It has also now made clear steps in fighting corruption, and set up a special externally-monitored account to ensure that any debt relief money is spent on poverty reduction.
There is no excuse for the UK Government to take this money. If the commitment of the UK to Africa is to retain any credibility, the Government must return it.
WDM is campaigning alongside the Jubilee Debt Campaign and groups across the world for the UK Government and other rich countries to return this money to Nigeria.
Read briefing on Nigeria (PDF, 70kb)
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