Voice of America
03 Jun 2023, 08:05 GMT+10
ABUJA - Nigeria's main labor union said Friday it plans to go on strike from Wednesday to protest a tripling of fuel prices in what would be the first big test for new President Bola Tinubu after he scrapped a costly fuel subsidy.
The price increase has led to a sharp rise in transport fares and Estonian ride-hailing and food delivery startup Bolt said it had hiked its prices in Nigeria, citing increased operating costs due to higher fuel prices.
Nigeria's fuel subsidy cost the government billions of dollars annually but was popular as it helped keep prices low in Africa's biggest oil producer, which is still grappling with high poverty rates among residents.
The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics says 63% of people living in Nigeria are poor while the World Bank said in a report last year that as many as four in 10 Nigerians live below the national poverty line.
The government said lifting the subsidy - which caused prices to rise to 557 naira per liter from 189 naira at the petrol pumps - will help alleviate a government funding crisis.
But Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) president Joe Ajaero, after an emergency meeting of the union's executive council in Abuja, said the state oil company NNPC should reverse the price hike.
'The Nigeria Labor Congress decided that if by Wednesday next week that NNPC, a private limited liability company that illegally announced a price regime in the oil sector, refuses to revert itself for negotiations to continue, that the Nigeria Labor Congress and all its affiliates will withdraw their services and commence protests nationwide until this is complied with,' Ajaero said.
In 2012, a wave of strikes ensued when Nigeria tried to introduce a similar measure, with authorities eventually reinstating some subsidies. Tinubu, then in the opposition, was among those who opposed ending the subsidies.
On Friday, the president said Nigeria needs to review its minimum wage of 30,000 naira ($65).
'We need to do some arithmetic and soul searching on the minimum wage,' he told the ruling party state governors at his offices in Abuja, adding that revenue collection should be strengthened.
Get a daily dose of Colorado Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Colorado Star.
More InformationDUBAI, UAE - The bustling real estate market in Dubai has surged to unprecedented heights, reporting transactions valued at over ...
ANKARA, Turkey: During a meeting, Michael Evans, President of the Alibaba Group, told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that the Chinese ...
Islamabad [Pakistan], September 25 (ANI): Pakistan's 40 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, as per the ...
Islamabad [Pakistan], September 24 (ANI): Ahead of the general elections in Pakistan, the World Bank gave a candid warning for ...
ACCRA, ghana - Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Ghanaian capital Accra on Saturday for a third day of anti-government ...
Western politicians are so overwhelmed with the feeling of impunity that they forget about self-preservation, Moscow saysWestern politicians are so ...
BURBANK, California: A note by Needham media analyst Laura Martin released this week revealed that CEO Bob Iger told investors ...
NEW YORK: This week, the Virginia-based Students for Fair Admissions, founded by affirmative action opponent Edward Blum, sued the U.S. ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said that from September 25, it will ...
NEW YORK, USA - After addressing the United Nations on Friday, Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq spoke at a press ...
LONDON, U.K.: Jet engine maker CFM International said this week that thousands of engine components may have been sold with ...
FREMONT, California: This week, brain-chip startup Neuralink, owned by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, said an independent review board granted ...