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December 02, 2003

No summit in a developing country would be complete without arguments about whether the money it costs could be better spent.

As Hamidele Aturu put it in Sunday's local Guardian, "Right now most Nigerians cannot afford three square meals a day or other basic necessities which have been priced out of their reach. More than 70 per cent of them live below the poverty line. Unemployment continues to soar."

However the project is clearly dear to President Obasanjo's heart. He wants to increase Nigeria's profile in West Africa and further afield. He claimed in his monthly interactive radio broadcast that the cost of holding the event has been exaggerated by critics.

It will only cost 3 billion Naira (1.2 million UK pounds).

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