ABUJA, 9 July 2003 — Nigerians began heading back to work yesterday after labor leaders struck a deal with government over fuel prices and ended a general strike that had paralyzed Africa’s most populous country.
Strike leader Adams Oshiomhole, president of the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), announced the suspension of the strike in the early hours of the morning, but the news took time to filter down to the protest’s grassroots support. By 9:00 am (0800 GMT), however, traffic was already building up on the roads of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, as business activity began to return to normal.
Some markets, shops and offices which were closed since the strike began started gradually to reopen while commercial vehicles withdrawn from roads in the past week began trickling back by 10:00 am (0900 GMT) here, as well as in the commercial capital Lagos, in the northern city of Kano and some other parts of the country.
Banks, filling stations and courts are, however, yet to open to the public, residents said. Oshiomhole told reporters the NLC’s 29 affiliated unions had agreed in overnight talks to accept a government offer to reduce the petrol price cap from 40 naira per liter to 34 naira (26 US cents 22 euro cents). “Given the sacrifices and the privations which Nigerians have had to make or contend with over the past eight days, the NLC has a compelling duty to avail the people some relief by suspending the strike action,” he said. “Having also compelled the federal government to back down and reduce the price of petrol from 40 naira to 34 per liter, the nationwide strike action and mass protest is suspended for the above-mentioned reasons,” he added. Labor’s decision will reassure nervous oil markets, quelling fears that further industrial action could disrupt exports.
Oil prices skidded lower on world markets yesterday. The price of benchmark Brent North Sea crude oil for August delivery fell 40 cents per barrel to $27.42 in early deals in London. New York’s reference light sweet crude August contract lost 43 cents to $29.70 per barrel.