Nigerian journalists stage warning strike over allowance arrears

Three Nigerian unions, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), on Tuesday began a three-day warning strike over the non-payment of their 18 months of allowances.

The NUJ, the Radio, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria and the Amalgamated Union launched the strike to protest the government's inability to fulfill its side of an earlier agreementon paying the so-called monetization benefits before April 30.

The NUJ ordered all state-owned radio and television stations to follow its three-day strike directive and as a result, the official News Agency of Nigeria sent out only one story and then shut off its transmission Tuesday.

A top official of the agency said on condition of anonymity that all their journalists went on strike as the government reneged on the payment of their benefits.

He said he didn't know whether the journalists will resume workWednesday but "the government will look into the matter."

Other state media such as Radio Nigeria and the Voice of Nigeria were also disrupted.