Nigerian strike is over

Trade union leaders in Nigeria have called off a general strike after the government agreed to scale down further the fuel price increases it imposed earlier this month.

A statement by the Nigerian Labour Congress said the increases for petrol and other fuels would be restricted to about ten per cent, and it called on workers to resume work immediately.

The government had originally imposed a fifty per cent increase, which was later scaled back to twenty-five per cent.

The five-day strike paralysed large parts of the country and yesterday, President Olusegun Obasanjo apologised for not consulting widely enough. Correspondents say fuel is heavily subsidised in Nigeria, and frequent attempts by governments to reduce the subsidies have been thwarted by strikes and protests.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service