Obasanjo's 'fruitful' UK visit

Obasanjo with UK Chancellor Gordon Brown: "Sympathetic" attitude

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo ended his four-day official visit to the United Kingdom on Saturday, describing his talks with the UK government as "pleasantly fruitful".

Debt relief, the oil crisis and the Nigerian Government's row with the head of the Sierra Leone peacekeeping force were among the topics the president addressed during a brief media conference at the Nigerian High Commission in London.

Softly-spoken and dressed in a pale grey outfit, the leader of Africa's most populous nation cut a modest figure amid the more colourful members of his entourage.

He said he had found common ground with his UK counterparts on the issue of Nigeria's outstanding debts.

No one needs to preach privatisation to me

President Obasanjo

"Her Majesty's government more than sympathise with our position - they empathise with our position," he said.

Asked why Nigeria had recently requested a new $1bn loan facility from the International Monetary Fund, Mr Obasanjo replied: "If your bank manager issues an overdraft facility, it is mark of confidence."

But he added: "I don't intend to draw on it."

He said Nigeria needed no encouragement when it came to implementing the economic reforms demanded by investors.

"To see what I built the last time I was in government, and to see what became of it - no one needs to preach privatisation to me," President Obasanjo said.

"Privatisation is the way to go, to ensure things are not mindlessly run down."

Oil crisis

The Nigerian leader's visit to the UK came in a week when the country was nearly brought to a halt as truck drivers blockaded fuel depots in protest at rising prices.

Obasanjo said he would lobby Opec to stabilise oil prices

President Obasanjo said he would try to lobby the leaders of fellow oil-producing countries within Opec to link oil supplies to prices, to try to make the market more stable.

"We all need stability in the price of oil," the president said.

But he added it was "unfair" to blame Opec for the current crisis, and warned against letting the crude oil price drop too low.

"A situation like last year where we were faced with a price or $9 or $10 a barrel is unacceptable. It virtually destroyed our economy."

Silence on Sierra Leone

General Jetley: Controversy over alleged criticism of Nigerians

Mr Obasanjo said Sierra Leone had not been discussed during his talks with the UK Government - an omission which surprised some journalists, given the central role already being played by Britain and Nigeria in trying to preserve the peace there.

Asked about the recent tensions between the Nigerian Government and the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, Indian General Vijay Jetley, President Obasanjo said he was waiting for the results of the UN secretary general's investigation into the affair.

Nigeria was angered recently when a document attributed to General Jetley came to light, accusing Nigerian soldiers in Sierra Leone of undermining the peace process and colluding with rebels.

The president said he understood that General Jetley had not intended that the critical remarks be made public.