One plausible explanation has been the fear of domination, if not complete annexation by Nigeria, which was felt by Equatorial Guinea. The sources of this phobia were quite obvious. Even though Nigerian labourers were treated as second-class citizens in Malabo, relations between Nigeria and Equatorial-Guinea had been skewed ab initio. It would seem in retrospect that the authorities in Malabo had lived in continuous fear of their much bigger and stronger neighbour. But then events which had followed in the wake of every row could only have served to deepen the already existing fear. We refer here to the constant clamour for the annexation of the country by a vocal section of the Nigerian public. In this regard, it was argued that since Nigerian labour had built up the economy of Equatorial Guinea, it was only logical that it, i.e. Equatorial Guinea, should make working conditions for Nigerian labourers more humane, failing which the Nigerian authorities should “annex that island” (Daily Times, January 26th 1976, p. 1). Notably, this irredentism enjoyed particular ventilation in the press, where both private and government-owned publications forged an unusual consensus.