[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 104 (Friday, June 23, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9007-S9008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    DECLINE OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, today I remind my colleagues that 
June 12, 1995, was the second anniversary of the annulled election of 
Mashood Abiola as President of Nigeria. The people of Nigeria 
commemorated this anniversary with a general strike that brought 
business in Lagos and other cities to a standstill. The military regime 
of Gen. Sani Abacha marked the anniversary by rounding up and arresting 
dozens of Nigeria's prodemocratic leaders. As I speak today, General 
Abacha continues to hold in prison the legitimately elected leader of 
Nigeria; the general also continues to deny President Abiola badly 
needed medical attention.
  Nigeria is a nation rich in natural and human resources. Besides 
producing 2 million barrels of oil a day, Nigeria mines significant 
amounts of coal, lead, zinc, and other minerals. Nigeria is also the 
most populous nation in Africa. In the 1960's and 1970's, the people of 
Nigeria set the standard for improving educational standards and 
promoting economic development in Africa. By the early 1980's, 100,000 
men and women were graduating each year from Nigerian postsecondary 
institutions and one-third of the population belonged to the middle 
class. Observers of postcolonial Africa predicted that Nigeria would 
lead the way in building democracy and prosperity in sub-Saharan 
Africa.
  Since that time, however, this optimistic outlook has been shattered. 
The military leaders of Nigeria have systematically looted their 
country's wealth and brought Nigeria to the edge of economic and 
political ruin. Today the Nigerian Government cannot even make interest 
payments on its foreign debt and is losing control over many of its 
territories. Fifteen years ago, Nigeria had a per capita income of 
$1,000,

[[Page S9008]]

while today per capita income in Nigeria has dropped to $200 and the 
middle class has almost completely disappeared into poverty. This 
economic turmoil has undermined Nigeria's efforts to fight the spread 
of diseases like polio, riverblindness, and AIDS. Under the regime of 
General Abacha and his predecessors, Nigeria has become one of the 
busiest heroin trafficking points in the world.
  In the past year General Abacha convened a constitutional conference 
to decide the future of the Nigerian Government. It is now clear that 
this conference was stacked with pro-military delegates. The conference 
ignored the views of the National Democratic Coalition and other groups 
both in Nigeria and in exile which advocate the restoration of 
democratic institutions in Nigeria. Quite predictably, the conference 
voted to indefinitely extend General Abacha's term.
  The international community needs to intensify its efforts to restore 
democratic rule to Nigeria and end the flagrant human rights violations 
this military regime inflicts daily on the people of Nigeria. President 
Clinton has taken a good first step by suspending commercial flights to 
Nigeria and denying entrance to the United States to those people who 
are suppressing democracy in Nigeria. Up to now, however, these 
sanctions seem to have had no effect on the behavior of the military 
regime. I encourage the administration to make further efforts to push 
Nigeria toward democracy. The United States, along with the rest of the 
international community must support the prodemocracy movement in 
Nigeria with the same resolve we showed for the anti-apartheid movement 
in South Africa.
  Support for democracy in South Africa required a unified response 
that increasingly isolated the South African Government from the rest 
of the global community. If General Abacha refuses to take any steps 
toward relinquishing his power, the United States should look at ways 
to increase diplomatic pressure on Nigeria. The administration should 
consider the recommendations of groups such as TransAfrica and the 
Parliamentary Human Rights Group to strengthen sanctions, including, 
perhaps, a temporary oil embargo on Nigeria. The future of Africa 
hinges on the development of democracy in countries like Nigeria. It is 
in our national interest to force Nigeria's military leaders to stop 
their human rights abuses and begin the transition to a legitimate 
democratic government.

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