Strike paralysis commercial activities nationwide

[TGD]

 A GENERAL strike in Nigeria over the removal of fuel subsidy has brought the country to a standstill.

COMMERCIAL activities was brought to a halt throughout  Lagos State on Monday  as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress  (TUC), Coalition of Civil Society Groups, Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) began their planned protest against the Federal Government removal of subsidy from fuel on the 1st January.

Other groups that joined in the protest are Performing Musicians Employers' Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Filmmakers Association of Nigeria (FAN), Academic Staff Union of Nigeria (ASUU), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Market Women Association and member of the various youth organizations across the state, including women association and hundreds of thousands of residents of Lagos.

A thing that was unique about the strike was that professionals from different fields of endeavor took part in the protest march from the Lagos Headquarters of NLC to the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota where several musicians like Wasiu Ayinde, Nice, Femi and Fela Anikulapu-Kuti performed to give their support to the voice of the masses against removal of subsidy from fuel.

The strike took effect from 7am when members of prodemocracy group and civil rights organisations besieged various major highways across the roads forcing commuters and passengers to either joint the strike or return to their houses to observe the stay-at-home call.

The entire Ikorodu Road from Yaba to Ojota was sealed with no vehicles passing including commercial motorcycle operator. Vehicles coming from outside Lagos were also stopped or forced to turn back at the toll-gate and those coming from Badagry also got stocked at Agbara where the protesters insisted they drop their passengers and join in the protest.

At Mile 12, Ketu, Oshodi, Mile 2 and many other areas commuters were stranded waiting for busses while along Ikorodu Road those who could not directly join the protest match stood in front of their various houses and were hailing the protesters giving them words of courage "we are in support of whatever you do."

However, as peaceful as the strike activities was from Yaba to Ojota along the Ikorodu Road, small hitches happened in between Onipanu and Fadeyi that almost turned the face of the action to violence when restive youths in the area engaged one another in a free for all but the quick intervention of security agents quell the crisis. Fliers belonging to different groups like NMA, ASUU, NBA, Joint Action Front (JAF), Citizens' Charter of Demands and SNG were freely distributed and the main demand is "Fight corruption! Kill corruption!!! Jonathan must Go!!!", "Revert to N65", "Resign Jonathan resign", "Reject IMF/World Bank policies of privatization and deregulation policies," and others.

Although many attempts were made by some hoodlums to set up bonfire on the road but were advised against further destruction of public property. A member of the NBA urged the protesters to rather go about the exercise saying: "Let us protest peacefully, protest massively and continuously. Members of the NMA also provided medical assistance to some of the protesters as they march the distance of Yaba to Ojota.

THE national protest against fuel subsidy in Abuja, the nation's capital was not restricted to the city centre as the outskirts of Abuja witnessed bouts of protest. From Mararaba in Nasarawa State to Nyanya in the FCT, the language was the same: they wanted the government to abrogate the deregulation.

As early as 7 am, the usual busy streets of the areas witnessed near empty vehicular movements associated with the areas on a Monday morning as a handful of commuters came to the streets to catch vehicles to their respective places of work. Though some of them were successful, others spent a long time waiting for vehicles, which took long time in coming.

But there was indication that people coming into to the city from the Gwagwalada Area Council, a border town to Kogi State could not make it as men of the military cordoned off the road leading into the city.  As a result, most of them had to make a U-turn. Though the situation eased off a bit in Nyanya where there was improvement in the human and vehicular movements later in the day.

But unlike in the city centre, there was near absence of security agents, as people were moving about. Even without open protest, a number of people spoken to expressed their solidarity with the protest in the FCT and other parts of the country. At the Central Business District, (CBD), which is the hub of activities in the FCT, most of the offices remained closed for yesterday.

Anambra NLC joins national strike

In adherence to the call for national strike, the organized labour in Anambra state yesterday organized a rally in support of the protest against the fuel subsidy removal.

The rally held at the Aroma junction, Awka, however witness a low turn out, even as security was beefed up around the state capital. Policemen were seen moving along the streets in major towns in patrol vans to ensure peace and order.

Addressing workers at the rally, the state NLC chairman, comrade Patrick Obianyo said  although labour was not against the subsidy removal,but that Federal government ought to have put some measures on ground to cushion the effects on the lives of Nigeria citizens before the removal.

Security operative in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, at 7:30 am in the morning conded off the Opolo secondary the spot slated for the kick off of the planned protest against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC).

The the protest could not hold the leader of NLC other workers to stay at home. The Youth Leader of the Action Congress Party of Nigeria Mr Ebikibina Miriki who  Was sighted in Yenagoan, told The Guardian that   it is undemocratic, uncivil and a serious breach to clamp on the fundamental rights of the civil liberty organisation in yenegoa, by security operatives from allowing them to stage a peaceful protest against the removal of fuel subsidy, even when permission has be sought and given, only to be denied the fundamental rights to registered their displeasure on government unpopular policy, from directives from above.

In other developments around the country:

• In Kano, 20 people were wounded as police dispersed protesters converging on the governor's office
• In the capital, Abuja, protester closed the airport and youths camping in the city's Eagle Square have been removed by police
• All the shops in Kaduna are closed and there is a heavy police presence.

The Guardian