Nigeria’s unions vowed to press ahead with a week-old nationwide strike on Monday if a deal over fuel prices is not reached before then, but a threat to halt crude production has been put on hold.
Meanwhile, queues at petrol stations stretching for several blocks in some areas formed on Sunday, causing a nearly four-hour wait for drivers seeking to refuel in case the country is shut down for another week. There was no confirmation of when another round of talks between the government and labour leaders could occur after Saturday’s late-night session in Africa’s largest oil producer ended without a compromise. One union official said further talks were expected Sunday.
President Goodluck Jonathan, who has been largely silent in public since the strike shut down the country starting January 9 and brought tens of thousands into the streets in protest, was also said to be considering a televised address.
The strike and protests have been put on hold for the weekend, but will resume on Monday if no deal is reached, the country’s main unions said. They said in a statement on Sunday that the talks failed the previous night because the government refused to reduce petrol prices to pre-January 1 levels before further negotiations, as demanded by labour leaders.
if government did not reduce the price we are going back to strike on monday.
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