General Strike Paralyses Nigerian Government Activities

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 02, 2003

General Strike Paralyses Nigerian Government Activities

As the nationwide strike in Nigeria enters its second day, the government activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja remained at a stand still on Tuesday.

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As the nationwide strike in Nigeria enters its second day, the government activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja remained at a stand still on Tuesday.

Activities of almost all government organizations in the capital are paralyzed because of the strike, said a governmental officer who refused to be named.

The Ministry of Works and Housing, for instance, was deserted with only a few workers on the premises discussing in groups.

Most of the offices were locked. "The offices in which people are found working are the ones of top officials because they have to drive their official cars to their offices," the officer said.

According to him, those who reported to work had their names registered in each department.

The ever-busy car parking lot inside the ministry's compound now was virtually empty with only a few cars parked.

There were only a few functionaries at work in offices of other ministries such as the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Some of those who reported to work told reporters that they didnot want to be caught in the "No-work-no-pay" web.

Banks also remained closed and those that worked offered skeletal services, but filling stations were opened with long queues spilling into the highways.

Meanwhile, the FCT administration has appealed to management of all fuel stations and commercial banks to reopen to the public to reduce the hardship currently being experienced.

Information Deputy Director of the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory Mallam Ibrahim Biu said that "adequate security has beenput in place to protect banks, fuel stations and other places of businesses."

Although no road was blocked, armed policemen were guarding establishments like the Federal Secretariat and the Supreme Court office complex.

Other buildings being guarded by anti-riot policemen included the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Economic Community ofWest African States, the Nigeria Electric Power Authority and Nigeria Telecom installations.

The strike was called by the Nigeria Labor Congress to protest the government's June 20 increases in the prices of petroleum products.

The increases shot the price of petrol to 40 naira (about 31.74US cents) per liter from 26 naira (about 20.63 cents) and prices of kerosene and diesel to 38 naira (about 30.15 cents) a liter from 24 naira (about 19.04 cents) each.

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