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Subscribe to RSSLAGOS, Nigeria -- Soldiers have barricaded key roads in Nigeria's commercial capital of Lagos as the president offered a concession to halt fuel price protests that he said were being stoked by provocateurs seeking anarchy.
Troops and police also blocked entrances to protest venues in Nigeria's second-largest city of Kano on Monday, including a park near a university and a square in the city center.
Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP - Getty Images
Soldiers barricade the road to stop protesters at Ojota district in Lagos on Monday.
The deployment of troops is a sensitive issue in a nation with a young democracy and a history of military coups. President Goodluck Jonathan said in his televised speech early Monday that agitators have hijacked the demonstrations.
Jonathan announced the government would subsidize gasoline prices to immediately reduce the price to about $2.27 a gallon. The concession might not be enough to stem outrage over the government's stripping of fuel subsidies on Jan. 1 that kept gas prices low in this oil-rich but impoverished nation. Even with the measure announced Monday, gasoline would still be more than a dollar higher than it was just 16 days ago, and anger in Africa's most populous nation is also now aimed at government corruption and inefficiency.
Tens of thousands have marched in cities across the nation of more than 160 million people, while a strike by Nigeria's biggest union began Jan. 9, paralyzing the country.
Reuters reported that the protests have "become an outlet for thousands to vent their grievances against what they see as a venal ruling political class and incompetent government, which is struggling to tackle an insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist sect based in the largely Muslim north."
Remi Sonaiya, a student, told Reuters: "The bottom line is we don't trust the government to do what they say anymore."
Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP - Getty Images
Protesters gather to protest against the scrapping of oil subsidies at Gani Fawehinmi Park in Lagos, Nigeria on Wednesday.
Strike suspended
Unions on Monday suspended their strike following the government's concessions, but it was not immediately clear if wider anger would be calmed by the measure.
In Lagos, a city of 15 million, army soldiers set up a checkpoint Monday morning on the main highway that feeds traffic from the mainland into its islands.
An Associated Press reporter saw more than a dozen Nigerian air force personnel, who were carrying assault rifles and wearing green fatigue uniforms, questioning occupants of cars at a roundabout where more 1,000 protesters had regularly gathered last week. Drivers had to slow down because the airmen had put metal barricades and debris in the street. They asked the drivers to identify themselves and say where they were going.
Sunday Alamba / AP
Nigeria's government and labor unions have failed to end a paralyzing nationwide strike over the high costs of gasoline, and potentially sparking a national oil production shutdown.
At a park in Lagos' Ojota neighborhood on the mainland, where more than 20,000 people had gathered Friday for an anti-government demonstration, two military armored personnel carriers were parked near an empty stage. About 50 soldiers and 50 other security personnel surrounded the area carrying Kalashnikov rifles, waving away those who tried to enter to resume demonstrations. A crowd of several hundred people gathered a few hundreds yards away.
"They are here because they don't want us to protest," said Remi Odutayo, 25, referring to the soldiers in the park. "They are using the power given to them to do something illegal" by stopping demonstrators from gathering.
Jonathan's speech Monday came after his attempt to negotiate with labor unions failed late Sunday night to avert nationwide strikes entering a sixth day. Nigeria Labor Congress President Abdulwaheed Omar said early Monday morning he had ordered workers to stay at home overnight, but that might not keep people away from mass demonstrations.
A report on Nigerian news website This Day said the president told his audience: "There was near-breakdown of law and order in certain parts of the country as a result of the activities of some persons or groups of persons who took advantage of the situation to further their narrow interests by engaging in acts of intimidation, harassment and outright subversion of the Nigerian state. I express my sympathy to those who were adversely affected by the protests."
Jonathan's government abandoned subsidies that kept gasoline prices low on Jan. 1, causing prices to spike from $1.70 per gallon (45 cents per liter) to at least $3.50 per gallon (94 cents per liter). The costs of food and transportation also largely doubled in a nation where most people live on less than $2 a day.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The nigerian govt is using the army to intimidate the citizens and they call this democracy?! Ludicrous!
The voice of reason seems to be the unions. And they are fighting to keep fuel at $2.27/gal. What do the rich smart Americans pay?
yeah you mean the unions who forced healthcare and got waivers and got payoff money
and american car companies to go broke and close then blamed the car companies then
obombo bought gmc with taxpayer money and then forced the chevy volt that is a disaster
and then closed car dealerships because they weren't union and job lost and closed down
energy production to give money to soylandra and green companies to pay off big unions
and gas prices rise and rise with energy and food prices? those nice unions?
Whoa....GoodvsEvil......let me introduce you to periods and commas...... :o)
It seems GVE forgot to put on his tin foil hat today. Let us all hope the CIA's alien brain-control rays don't track him down and send Bigfoot to kidnap him.
Just like Oakland using their police dept. Really can't call it a democracy either.
the Goverment here in america is doing the same thing to us. At least they {the Nigerians} are brave enough to get the job done, wish we americans were that brave. Oh well, America proves to be the weakest country in the world so far, or at least with the weakest {we the people} resolve to make the politicians keep their promises.
Agreed! We are controlled by the expectation that we are civilized. It seems that the word civilized is synonymous with "weak willed" these days. If you go against the establishment in any way, shape or form, you are chastised for acting in an uncivilized manner. As Americans, we are held to higher standards than the rest of the world. We are one of the few countries that are held to the laws of the Geneva Convention and the only country that is openly berated in the media by its elected officials if we fight for equality in social class. In all honesty, it is ingenious the way our government controls its people. Fear and social bashing seem to be more effective than pain and suffering when it comes to us Americans. If we actually did rise up and break some sh!t, we may actually get more done and be a stronger nation! I am willing to bet that if we used force to push back against our government, our politicians would begin to act on behalf of those that elected them rather than the corporations that line their pockets.
Mike,
Interesting thought. Thank you. I am all for protest rallies....is that what you had in mind when you said, "...used force.." I was ready to click the 'like' box but thought I better clear that up first. :o)
Maga,
Protested rallies is exactly what I meant. In no way would I want to hurt my fellow Americans. By "forced", I meant to utilize processes that are being attempted now like closing ports and forcing the slow of commerce which in-turn hurts the big businesses that are lining the pockets of our elected officials. I understand that this will affect small business as well. Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil if we are ever to change the way the government works. Instead of small business complaining about their loses, they should join the protest in order to help make a difference rather than condemn those that are trying to make the difference. I think the "Occupy" movements were a good idea, they just lacked the focus to be effective and that is why we (as a people) have allowed the government and police to shut them down. Their staunch approach to having no leadership caused the situation to be too convoluted. This created a response where people failed to see a positive in what the Occupy movements were originally trying to achieve. If they would have elected a voice to speak for them rather than a bunch of hooligans rioting and creating mischief, they would have accomplished more. Our society is built on structure, but along the way those at top have abused that structure for the betterment of their own bank accounts rather than that of the people which provide the foundation.
Anyways, I am preaching now and we all know how that ends.
"Remi Sonaiya, a student, told Reuters: "The bottom line is we don't trust the government to do what they say anymore."
The government in the U.S.A. is the same. President Obama is stepping all over the Constitution.
Yea, his might be issuing signing statements disapproving of what the Republican Congress passes, and yet signing the bills into law anyway. So how is he better than the Republicans?
stepping on it! he spit on it cursed it and flushed it down the toilet!
Name one thing he's done that's "stepping on the Constitution." And be prepared to defend your argument. We get enough fox news zombies who just willingly take far-right propaganda down the throat unquestioningly...
He isnt the first to do that now is he??
$2.27.... Hmmm......
The problem in Nigeria is that the "other people" left and took their money with them.
Now they have run out of "other people's money", and Socialism comes crashing down.
The other people left to join the 1% in the USA. Send them back.
Not sure why you want to send them back.
Their taxes fund your welfare check
I hate to say it, but I would love to pay $2.27 for a gallon of gas.
It could be the problem in Nigeria is their 1%. If they've left, then Nigeria is on the way to recovery. Can you say $2.27/gal? And that's Nigerial. What do the rich, smart Americans pay?
PS you notice who are the voice of the downtrodden? The Unions. The rich 1% here in the USA must get rid of the unions in order to kill all our liberties.
Interesting that some can't seem to get away from the $2.27/gal and would love to pay that amount. Wonder if they feel the same about working for Nigerian wages. Guessing it's not $30 an hour, probably not even $5.75 an hour.
If we acted with the bravery of these outer world (meaning non USA) folks do maybe we could drive down the oil prices and gasoline. But we lack the bones to do it, it takes real sacrifice and less comfort, oh yeah!! comfort we don't want to give up, but yet want things to turn our way without sacrificing any of our comforts.
These people knows what it takes to fight for their well being, they risk their lives to accomplish justice, while all we do is whine and gripe. We seem to have forgotten what the struggle of the 60's has meant in the American way of life. It changed the way business used to be done, it took SACRIFICE, not comfort.
There are lots of lessons to be learned from, Lybbia, Siria, Yemen, Egipt, Iran, Russia, and many others, Learn America, learn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HEY mr. president! how about you cutting gas prices since your the reason they are so high
along with energy and food prices? cut the government tax? hell no you won't! cut regulations?
hell no you won't! but keep pushing for higher debt and stimulus and fake job bills and fake
green energy and bailouts for big unions! hell yes!
Wait... how is the president (of the United States) supposed to low gas prices? The fuel tax in this country is so incredibly low that cutting it wouldn't make any appreciable difference in gas prices. Going from $3.32 to $3.10 or so would still garner complaints from the likes of someone like yourself that doesn't understand the economies of oil and the products that are made from it. The only way to lower gas prices would be to subsidize the cost of like Nigeria has been doing. And I'm afraid that is something the United States cannot afford.
where did you get those numbers evox the breakdowns Ive seen have the government making more off a gallon of gas then anyone else! and its been that way for a long time a bipartisen bending over the nation it would seem so before you say anything about dem or repub save your breath they are both guilty on this one
We are reaching that point when overpopulation, peak oil, greed and environmental degradation come together in a perfect storm...
No government is equipped to deal with this.
Its going to get ugly, folks - hang on tight!
I think part (but not all) of the problem in a case such as this is the fact that they are also dealing with a populous that is probably not involved enough in their government's process to under the cause and reasoning. Considering their government has changed so much, and so many times, many of these people automatically assume the government is corrupt despite logical reasoning behind their moves.
Personally I think oil subsidies such as the ones that caused this issue should not exist, but in a case such as this the subsidies should have been removed slowly, not suddenly.
Well put Evox81...the only logical, thought-through post on this thread.
Let's see...Was $1.70--now $3.50/gal. So the subsidy was more than half the "real" price of gasoline. Doesn't seem like they should be in that industry if the government had to foot that high of a percentage subsidy. And the crazy part is how the article mentioned that most people in the country live on less than $2 per day. Just a question, but is anyone at that income level directly affected by the cost of fuel (not counting indirect price increases for food production, etc reliant on oil for transportation)? If your wages are that low, something equivalent to a full day's pay is considered a luxury not a necessity. You would have to work a full year with NO other expenses just to buy a $730 car. Right? I imagine if you make that little you would grow your own food and walk or ride an animal or bike to get around. I have a garden even though I am fortunate enough to not need one to survive, and I take my bike a few miles to the store sometimes to save a little on gas.
I completely understand and appreciate the argument about prices doubling in a few short days, but you will never hear someone in financial turmoil complain that the cost of a private jet went from $1.2 million to $2.5 million. If you couldn't afford the item before, what does it matter how much the price went up? (Unless the increase creates a trickle down effect that raises prices of affordable necessities like water, food, shelter, etc). I understand fuel costs can do that, but I'm unfortunately not aware of the economic structure of Nigeria.
Africa is a mess! My ex and I split over my refusal to move there permanently once we both retired - She has romanticized western Africa to such an illogical degree - I wonder what her thoughts are about this????
Corruption in Africa is rife, systematically destroying most of the continent over the decades...as is the case when such leaders and their cronies come to power, the vast majority of the people get caught in between...Nigeria is not the exception, and its so difficult to understand why poverty is so rampant in the shadows of producing oil wells, in these oil-rich export nations!? The levels of illiteracy and disease are just as baffling!!
Another social bomb going off.
Read !!!!
OMG The article states that most people earn LESS than two ($2.00) dollars a day. So forget even the minimum wage of $7.25, $5.25, or $2.00 an hour!!!
I hope this does not do anything with the $575,000,000 that was left to me by a stranger. All I had to do to claim my good fortune was to send them $39 for shipping and handling. But wait, if I did it within the next day the offer could be doubled with additional shipping and handling. Of course I did it yesterday after I fell off the turnip truck. My money should arrive within 10-15 business days.
That's why the have 2.27 a gallon gas. If there wage is low. But still that's probably alot of money for them. Man dominating man to his injury. They have there own problems there. Wherever you live there will be problems. At least for now it's okay here in the U.S. hopefully, it will get better for all. It's this world we live in that's what.
Maybe if they pooled all those Nigerian princes money that keep promising to send me 5 million US dollars...and then talk to the bankers who's family members rich uncle died and left them the sum of 2.4 million dollars.. they could afford their stuff.
These people are animals. gas them all!