Democracy In Nigeria

EDM number 1434 in 1997-98, proposed by Ann Clwyd on 16/06/1998.

That this House notes the opportunity presented by General Abacha's death for a genuine democratic transition in Nigeria; hopes that the release of a small number of political prisoners marks the beginning of such a progress; welcomes UK Government statements to the effect that General Abubakar is regarded as a caretaker leader, expected to hand power to a civilian-led government; urges the Government to keep the pressure on the regime at this critical time, using forthcoming international meetings to indicate that further sanctions will be triggered if a geniune democratic transition has not been set in motion by the end of June; recommends that the Government sets out the minimum steps expected for such a transition programme to be regarded as geniune; condemns the European Union's 1997 relaxation of restrictions on visas for members of the regime and the ban on sporting links; recommends that future Government-sponsored and Government-supported trade missions to Nigeria are suspected; and calls on the Government to work within the EU for strict implementation without exceptions of measures already agreed, to argue strongly within the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group for immediate implementation of the package of measures agreed in 1996, to implement existing and tabled EU and Commonwealth measures unilaterally at the beginning of October, should the Nigerian military fail to embark upon a geniune transition and should no multilateral agreements for action have been reached, and to proceed with any further action deemed appropriate to bring about a return to democratic rule in Nigeria.

This motion has been signed by a total of 47 MPs.