Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo called a meeting with unions and fuel distributors on Monday on the first day of a general strike called over rising petrol prices, officials and labour leaders said.
A spokesperson for the Nigerian government, Eric Teniola, said Obasanjo would assemble labour leaders, student and women’s groups and industry representatives at his Aso Rock villa to seek a way out of the crisis.
”It’s an enlarged meeting. It’s due to start in 30 minutes,” he said, confirming that the talks were scheduled to start at noon (11am GMT).
The main leader of the strike, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president Adams Oshiomhole, told reporters at his headquarters that he wanted to take part in the talks but that his way was blocked by police surrounding the building.
An AFP reporter at the scene said that police had sent for a more senior commander to decide whether to allow Oshiomhole to leave the compound, while a large squad of armed officers continued to block the exits.
The NLC and civil society groups launched a nationwide ”stay-at-home strike” on Monday, vowing to halt the economic life of the country for four days in protest at a recent 25% increase in petrol prices. — Sapa-AFP