Protesters have gathered in Nigeria for
a third day calling on the government to
restore a fuel subsidy, while the nation’s
main labor unions urged President
Goodluck Jonathan to listen to the “voice
of the people.”
The demonstrators were gathering in
Nigeria’s main commercial city of Lagos
and other areas.
Protesters held a big rally in the city
Tuesday, as tens of thousands of
people demonstrated at sites across the
country. Another large protest took place
in the capital, Abuja.
The nationwide strike has shut down
businesses as protesters express anger at
the government for eliminating the
subsidy on January 1. Dropping the
program caused fuel prices to double
overnight.
Nigerian officials have ordered
striking government workers to return to
their jobs, or else not get paid.
The Nigeria Labor Congress and Trade
Union Congress said in a statement
Tuesday that the strike will continue
until the government reinstates the
subsidy.
The protests have been largely peaceful,
but the country is also dealing with an
increase in sectarian violence.
Mr. Jonathan has refused to reinstate
the subsidy, saying the government can
no longer afford it. He says getting
rid of the subsidy will save at least $8
billion this year, which he promises to
use on infrastructure and social
programs.
Most Nigerians live on less than $2 a
day and the fuel subsidy was one of
the few benefits they received from the
country’s oil wealth. Nigeria is Africa’s
top oil producer.
Protesters said Tuesday graft is the
real cause of the nation’s problems.
Some economists have called the subsidy
corrupt and wasteful, saying it
encouraged smuggling into neighboring
countries where fuel was more expensive.
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