NIGERIA: Union presents ultimatum to President Goodluck government over oil subsidy
Record ID:
235465
NIGERIA: Union presents ultimatum to President Goodluck government over oil subsidy
- Title: NIGERIA: Union presents ultimatum to President Goodluck government over oil subsidy
- Date: 13th January 2012
- Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (JANUARY 12, 2012) (REUTERS) EMPTY ROAD VARIOUS OF PETROL STATIONS VARIOUS OF HOSPITAL VARIOUS OF CLOSED SHOPS CLOSED SCHOOL VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF NIGERIA'S MAIN OIL UNION, PENGASSAN (THE PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA) (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF PENGASSAN, (THE PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA), BABATUNDE OGUN, SAYING: "We are hereby notifying the President of Nigeria and indeed all Nigerians that PENGASSAN has been forced to go ahead and apply the bitter option of ordering the systematic shutdown of oil and gas production with effect from midnight of Saturday January 14, 2012. That is Sunday, January 15, 2012, 0000 hours." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT A HOUSE IN THE SURULERE AREA (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADETUNJI SOLESE, STAFF AT AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FIRM SAYING: "My problem is that it is over four days now , people can't go out, we stay at home everywhere is shut down, markets, petrol station, there's nowhere to go, because of fuel subsidy. Labour says before they can dialogue with the president, he needs to reverse the money to 65 naira." VARIOUS OF BLOCKADE BY PEOPLE IN THE YABA AREA PEOPLE BLOCKING A CAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) SMART UCHE, PRINTING BUSINESS OWNER AND SAYING: "Of course there is an order of sit at home, if you are not at home, you are on the streets protesting so if you are not for us you are against us so you better go home and stay at your house. But, those of us on the streets we are saying no to injustice, we are saying no to corruption and we are saying enough is enough." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PLAYING FOOTBALL ON THE STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) GBENGA ODITA, PHOTOGRAPHER SAYING: "Strike everywhere, no work, no job, everybody is going nowhere so instead of turning to hoodlums on the road, they decided to make themselves happy, make people happy, play football, what people like. As they always say, football brings more people together." RESIDENTS ARGUING OVER THE GAME (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLUWATOSIN JEGEDE A UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SAYING: "It has affected me a lot because my ATM is not even working, I don't have any money in my account. No money, I don't have anything to do, I am just there walking about, just roaming the streets, nothing to do, no money, no anything, no fuel, no electricity, no water. So, what kind of nation is this?" BLOCKADE BY RESIDENTS IN THE AREA
- Embargoed: 28th January 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Business,Politics,Energy
- Reuters ID: LVA1OP8V9ENI9RJXP4XUHNRF7126
- Story Text: Nigerians took to the streets across the country for a fourth day running on Thursday (January 24) to protest against the government's decision to remove popular fuel subsidies, which more than doubled the price of petrol.
And now the country's main oil union says it will shut down the country's oil and gas production from Sunday (January 15) if the government does not back down.
"We are herby notifying the Federal Government of Nigeria ... that PENGASSAN shall be forced to go ahead and apply the bitter option of ordering the systematic shutting down of oil and gas production with effect from ... 0000 hours of Sunday Jan 15," the union's president Babatunde Ogun said in a statement.
With the country's crude oil production at risk Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Thursday he will meet with labour unions from around 5 p.m. (1500 GMT).
Banks, shops, airports and schools remained closed but small market sellers and roadside hawkers carried on trading. Hospitals treated only to emergency cases.
The strike which has restricted movements in certain areas of Lagos state has angered some Nigerians who have been at home for four days.
"My problem is that it is over four days now , people can't go out, we stay at home everywhere is shut down, markets, petrol station, there's nowhere to go, because of fuel subsidy. Labour says before they can dialogue with the president, he needs to reverse the money to 65 naira," said Adetunji Solese, a worker at an IT firm.
But in general the unions have received massive public backing and the government and the unions are deadlocked.
The January 1 removal of the subsidy sent the pump price to 150 naira ($0.93) a litre from 65 naira overnight.
Africa's largest oil producer relies on crude exports for more than 90 percent of its foreign exchange earnings. Even a minor outage would put pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan and his team to take action against protesters or negotiate.
Protests began again in cities everywhere from the commercial centre Lagos in the south to the remote and restive city of Maiduguri in the far northeast.
Road blockades were set up by residents unable to get to the protests, restricting movement as a way of showing support to the Nigeria Labour Congress, the country's main union.
A small-business owner said people in Lagos should stay home if they weren't at the protests.
"If you are not for us you are against us so you better go home and stay at your house. But, those of us on the streets we are saying no to injustice, we are saying no to corruption and we are saying enough is enough," said Smart Uche, the owner of a printing business.
Some young people took to playing football on the streets as a way of keeping out of trouble.
"Instead of turning to hoodlums on the road, they decided to make themselves happy, make people happy, play football, what people like. As they always say, football brings more people together," said photographer Gbenga Odita.
University graduate Oluwatosin Jegede said she was aggrieved with the situation in her country.
"Nothing to do, no money, no anything, no fuel, no electricity, no water. So, what kind of nation is this?," she said.
Nigeria exports around 2 million barrels of crude oil per day and is a key supplier to the United States and Europe.
Output has been unaffected so far but oil traders said concerns about disruptions to Nigerian output helped global prices rise more than 1 percent on Thursday. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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