Nigerians are united in anger against the removal of subsidies, which they view as their only benefit from the nation's oil wealth. There is also deep mistrust of government after years of blatant corruption.
As at Friday last week when the strike entered its fifth day, the nation’s economy was said to have lost between N400billion and N420billion as a result of the impasse.
This much was confirmed by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who on Thursday, last week, put the total figure lost at N387billion.
Expectedly, different sectors of the nation’s economy have also been counting their losses since the commencement of the strike.
Saturday the 14th of January 2012, Nigerians rushed to markets to take advantage of the break in the strike to stock up on food, but they found prices had tripled -- a mix of sellers taking advantage of high demand and the result of increased transport costs.
"All the same, we still have to buy because we have to eat," said Olabisi Adekoya, a 36-year-old mother of four at a Lagos market.
Government officials and economists say removing subsidies was essential and will allow much of the $8 billion per year in savings to be ploughed into projects to improve the country's woefully inadequate infrastructure.
An uneasy calm returned to Nigeria's cities Tuesday, a day after two Nigerian labor groups suspended their nationwide strike over the elimination of the country's fuel subsidy.
In suspending the strikes, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress cited successes gained by demonstrators, including an announcement Monday by President Goodluck Jonathan slashing fuel prices.
In Lagos, the country's commercial center, vehicles filled the streets Tuesday but traffic was still at lower-than-normal levels.
A heavy military presence was still evident in the city's streets in the evening, with armed checkpoints set up at most key bridges and along major roads in the city.
Many fuel stations displayed a price of N97 per liter, the new price announced by the government Monday.
It's important to recall that the protests began earlier this month after fuel that had cost about N65 shot up to N141 when the subsidy was removed.
It was upsetting to discover however that even though the people thought they had finally won there was no fuel to be bought as black markets sold at N300 per liter and fuel stations "claimed" they had none.
In a signal that the government has listened to public complaints about widespread corruption, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was also tasked Tuesday with investigating fraud over fuel imports and sales.
But while the NLC and TUC urged demonstrators to go home as they suspended their industrial action, it remained unclear whether they will accept the fuel-price cut and call for a permanent end to the strikes and protests.
A third organization, the Joint Action Front, issued a statement deploring the suspension and urging continued strikes and protests until the government agrees to restore gas prices to what they were before the subsidy ended.
In another statement Tuesday, the JAF criticized the inspector general of police, Hafiz Ringim, over his warning that any Nigerians taking part in protests would be arrested and charged, and that anyone calling for a change of government would be prosecuted for treason.
JAF Secretary Abiodun Aremu condemned Ringim's statement as "uncivilized and provocative" and accused him of seeking to "repress the legitimate expression and freedom of assembly of Nigerians."
The union said it would consult with the public over continuing the strike action.
But there were no protesters to be seen on the streets of Lagos Tuesday, following the warning from Ringim.
Police continued to stop and shine lights into vehicles passing through the city, while soldiers equipped with armed personnel carriers were stationed by the so-called "freedom parks" where protesters had congregated.
Lagos state Gov. Babatunde Fashola called Monday for the immediate withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Lagos, a sign of dissent among the authorities over the handling of the protests.
In a written statement, Fashola said there was no development in the state that warranted such a large military deployment and the protests had been largely peaceful and lawful.
"For me this is not a matter for the military. The sooner we rethink and rescind this decision the better and stronger our democracy will be," he said, saying public discourse on political matters should be encouraged.
"If anything, this is a most welcome transformation of our democracy in the sense that it provokes a discussion of economic policies and ... may result in political debate," he added.
MEMORIES OF THE FUEL SUBSIDY STRIKE
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