EU gives Nigerians $1 billion to promote ‘peace’
The EU has signed a $1 billion development pact with Nigeria to tackle corruption and promote peace. Depending on who the Europeans actually give the money to, it may, in fact, provoke greater conflict. The EU says a third of the funding will be spent on resolving conflict in the oil-rich and crime-plagued Niger Delta, where thousands of rebels have laid down arms in exchange for education and jobs. Until recently, gangs regularly blew up pipelines and kidnapped foreign oil workers in the region, prompting Nigeria’s government to say it will share 10% of oil revenues with the Delta’s impoverished people. But, because Nigeria’s power brokers are endemically corrupt, few believe them. And they will watch that EU money closely. Read more: BBC, Reuters, FT.com
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