In the 1980s, Benin's economic situation became increasingly critical. The country experienced high economic growth rates (15.6% in 1982, 4.6% in 1983 and 8.2% in 1984), but the closure of the Nigerian border with Benin led to a sharp drop in customs and tax revenues. The government was no longer able to pay civil servants' salaries. In 1989, riots broke out when the regime did not have enough money to pay its army. The banking system collapsed. Eventually, Kérékou renounced Marxism, and a convention forced Kérékou to release political prisoners and arrange elections. Marxism–Leninism was abolished as the nation's form of government.