Structural Power and Debt Dependency: A Critical Examination of Chinese Loan Architecture in Nigerian Infrastructure Projects

This dissertation offers a rigorous critical examination of the structural power embedded in Chinese concessional loan architecture governing infrastructure projects in Nigeria, arguing that the terms, conditionalities, and governance provisions of Chinese loans constitute a form of structural leverage that constrains Nigerian sovereign decision-making beyond the conventional debt sustainability risks identified in mainstream economics literature. Drawing on Susan Strange's theory of structural power, critical political economy, and postcolonial international relations, this study conducts an original analysis of loan agreements for six Chinese-financed infrastructure projects in Nigeria covering the period 2014 to 2024, examining contract provisions related to dispute resolution, collateralisation of sovereign assets, exclusion clauses, and applicable law. Primary data are drawn from loan contract analysis using agreements obtained through parliamentary FOI processes, Debt Management Office records, China Exim Bank project documentation, and expert interviews with Nigerian legal advisors who participated in loan negotiations. The theoretical contribution extends Strange's structural power framework to the specific context of South-South lending relationships, demonstrating that structural power operates differently in these arrangements than in traditional IMF or World Bank lending. Original concepts of infrastructural dependency and juridical sovereignty erosion are introduced to describe the cumulative effects of Chinese loan architecture on Nigerian state capacity. Keywords: structural power, China, debt dependency, Nigeria, infrastructure loans.