NIGERIA: Riot police break up a protest by angry motorists after petrol prices spiral out of reach for millions in Africa's top oil producer.

Record ID: 235425

  • Title: NIGERIA: Riot police break up a protest by angry motorists after petrol prices spiral out of reach for millions in Africa's top oil producer.
  • Date: 3rd January 2012
  • Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (JANUARY 2, 20120 (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF POLICE, SOME OF THEM ARMED, STANDING IN STREET WATCHING FUEL PROTESTERS PROTESTERS MARCHING DOWN STREET AND SINGING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTIVIST DINO MELAYE, SAYING "We want to say that what we have done today is just an intro to what is to come. What we have done today is to open the register of our protest against the satanic subsidy removal. I want to say without fear or favour that president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and indeed the federal government of the federal Republic of Nigeria - they have grown from being a weak government to a wicked government. The battle, the battle by the grace of God to revert back to a status quo is a battle of no retreat, no surrender. No amount of intimidation, no amount of blackmail, no amount of accusation will detract our attention from championing this course." PROTESTERS CHANTING PROTESTERS RUNNING DOWN ROAD, WAVING FISTS AND CHANTING VARIOUS OF RIOT POLICE LINING STREET VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS RUNNING FROM TEAR GAS, AUDIO OF SOMEBODY SAYING "TEAR GAS", CLOUD OF TEAR GAS IN THE AIR TEAR GAS IN THE AIR
  • Embargoed: 18th January 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Economy,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAD8FBF4XVVZ7R4SZSCLWOOL7QT
  • Story Text: Nigerian motorists and unions vented their anger on Monday (January 2, 2012) at a sudden more than doubling of fuel prices, a day after government subsidies were removed in a sweeping economic reform that could trigger mass protests.
    Opposition leaders, unionists and local rights groups have condemned the move by the state's fuel regulator, which they say will hike the prices of goods at a time when many Nigerians, the majority of whom live on less than $2 per day, already find basic commodities too expensive.
    Economists have long argued the fuel subsidies were hugely corrupt, wasteful and simply bled money from the Treasury into the pockets of a group of wealthy fuel importers.
    But their removal remains an explosive political issue. A lot of Nigerians see the subsidy as the sole benefit they get from living in a major crude oil producer.
    Many fuel stations in the capital Abuja and main commercial city Lagos were shut on Monday while they waited to figure out how to adjust their prices. Those that were open were jammed with queues and selling at prices of up to 150 naira ($0.92) per litre, up from a fixed price of 60 naira before.
    The measure risks bringing public wrath down on President Goodluck Jonathan, who says it is needed to reform the economy.
    Responding to a call to demonstrate, a few dozen protesters occupied the area around Eagle Square in central Abuja. In a sign tolerance was likely to be limited for such protests in the capital, police dispersed people with teargas and made arrests, a Reuters witness saw.
    The Trades Union Congress and Nigerian Labour Congress called on Sunday (January 1) for mass action to repeat strikes and street protests that thwarted previous attempts to end subsidies.
    There has not yet been any major organised response.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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