The military government of Nigeria has unveiled a budget for 1999, warning that hard and painful decisions are necessary following the collapse of world oil prices.

The Nigerian leader, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said that government revenue -- heavily reliant on oil earnings -- was likely to fall by about half.

He said the country could no longer afford the minimum wage for civil servants, a reform introduced in September.

And he also announced the immediate ending of a dual exchange rate which privileged groups have been allowed to use.

The BBC correspondent in Nigeria says that while the new moves show a willingness to tackle corruption, the public will be more concerned by the inevitability of falling living standards.