In 1985, Nigeria's General Ibrahim Babangida assumed power in a coup and promised better bilateral relations, pointing to his own military training in the U.S. In fact, under Babangida's administration, there was growing concern in the U.S. about human rights abuses perpetrated by the military government. In December 1989, the U.S. government wrote off $80.5 million in Nigerian debt, although Babangida's planned visit to the U.S. the next month was cancelled.
