Nigeria nationwide strike called off

ABUJA/LAGOS - Nigerian unions yesterday ended a week-old nationwide strike after president Goodluck Jonathan agreed to lower petrol prices, while security forces shot into the air and fired tear gas to disperse protesters.

An AFP correspondent said soldiers first shot into the air to disperse protesters before police fired tear gas, forcing them to flee.

No casualties were reported.

The protesters had gathered on a major road in Lagos, the largest city in Africa's most populous nation and biggest oil producer.

Soldiers also sought to disperse other crowds earlier in the day by driving toward them in armoured vehicles, though no one was believed to have been hit.

Troops also occupied protest sites where demonstrators had been gathering daily since a nationwide strike began on January 9.

Amid the tense atmosphere, secret police agents also stormed the CNN office for unclear reasons in Lagos, a witness said, asking questions about expatriate staff quotas and permission to operate, but left after about 20 minutes.

The deployments came after President Goodluck Jonathan watered down a hike in petrol prices in a bid to end the strike that has entered its second week.

A dispute over a sharp hike in fuel costs had crippled Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer, compounding the government's problems as it also faces a wave of bloody attacks from the Islamist insurgent group, Boko Haram.

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress Abdulwaheed Omar announced the suspension at a news conference in Abuja.

"In view of the foregoing, labour and its allies formally announce the suspension of strikes, mass rallies and protests across the country. We demand the release of all those detained in the course of the strikes, rallies and street protests," Omar told reporters.

He urged all workers to return to work as they engage in further dialogue with the authorities over the latest fuel price slash announced by president Jonathan.

Omar also told the Press conference: "With the experiences of the past eight days, we are sure that no government or institution will take Nigerians for granted again."

Union officials said they remained in disagreement with the petrol price even after the decrease, but were ready to engage in further negotiations with government representatives.

Nigerian president Jonathan yesterday announced in a national broadcast a sizeable cut in the petrol price in a bid to prevent a paralysing general strike from continuing into the second week.

The president directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency to ensure immediate compliance with the new pump price of 97 naira a litre.

In a reaction to the withdrawal of fuel subsidy by the federal government on January 1, the organised labour called out a strike to protest the hike on January 9.

President Jonathan observed in yesterday's broadcast that the nationwide protests that greeted the subsidy removal had been hijacked by certain interest groups to promote discord, anarchy and insecurity.

The Nigerian leader said the government decided to shift ground given the hardships being suffered by Nigerians. He said the reduction in the pump price resulted from considerations and consultations with state governors, the leadership of the National Assembly and organised labour.

He however, reiterated his government's commitment to pursuing full deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector, and urged Nigerians to show understanding for the imperatives of the adjustment in the pump price of petrol and give government their full support to ensure its successful implementation.

The president appreciated those who conducted themselves peacefully while expressing their grievances and expressed sympathy to those who were adversely affected by the protests.

He also assured that all those found to have contributed one way or the other to the economic adversity of the country would be dealt with in accordance with the law.