A general strike gripped Nigeria on Wednesday, posing the first significant test for the new president and prompting speculation that oil markets might be upset by possible disruption to supplies from one of the world's top crude exporters.
In fact oil prices fell heavily after the US government said that its energy stockpiles had risen strongly last week, offsetting any concerns about the Nigerian strike.
The main Nigerian labor unions decided to go ahead with the strike after the government of President Umaru Yar'Adua, who was only sworn in late last month, refused to reverse a 15 percent hike in the price of petrol.
PHOTO: AP
"The general strike and mass protest continue tomorrow [yesterday]. As we have earlier announced, the strike will be indefinite until the federal government returns the price of petrol [gas] to 65 naira [US$0.51]," Abdulwaheed Omar, head of the blue-collar Nigeria Labour Congress, told reporters.
He urged workers to set up compliance squads countrywide "to ensure all work places are shut down."
"The burden of fixing Nigeria and removing the landmines planted by former president Olusegun Obasanjo rests on President Yar'Adua. This responsibility cannot be shifted or repudiated merely on the excuse that the problems were inherited," he said.
He was referring to a series of unpopular measures such as the fuel price increase introduced by Obasanjo in his last days in power.
"President Yar'Adua needs to appreciate that it is not a sign of weakness to listen to the people and act in accordance with their will," Omar said.
The federal government said on Wednesday it was doing everything possible towards ensuring an early resolution of the strike action.
"The government wishes to warn however, that while it respects the right of any worker to embark on strike action, that right should not be used as an excuse to instigate a breakdown of law and order," the government said in a statement.
In the commercial capital Lagos, streets that are normally jammed were virtually free of traffic, with the impact of the strike worsened by heavy rain.
Some workers complained they had tried to come into work but said they had been turned back by union officials at impromptu roadblocks.
In the administrative capital Abuja only a few senior government officials showed up for work.
Most government schools were closed across the country, as were banks. Many flights were suspended or disrupted, but markets, street food stalls and some supermarkets stayed open.
By Monday fears of the walkout, which unions had been threatening for two weeks, and which could further hamper oil exports from Nigeria -- Africa's biggest oil producer and the world's sixth largest exporter -- had sent crude prices to their highest levels in nine months.
But initially there were no signs of production being affected.
"There's still no sign of anything being paralyzed for the time being," one oil industry source said.
Union officials said it was just a matter of time until exports were hit.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was