Nigerian trade unions said Monday, Jan. 16, they will suspend their weeklong, nationwide strike that brought the West African nation’s economy to a standstill.
President Goodluck Jonathan said that he would lower the cost of oil and gasoline—after prices spiked when a government subsidy expired at the first of the month—responding to the strike and protests, reported Al-Jazeera television.
Jonathan’s agreement means that the Nigerian government will reduce fuel costs by around 30 percent, to $2.75 per gallon, remaining still higher than pre-subsidy levels when fuel cost $1.70, according to the broadcaster.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer and it is the fifth largest supplier to the United States.
Unions said they called off the strike and protests to save lives after they claimed that Nigerian government forces fired live rounds at protesters, reported the BBC. More than a dozen people were reported dead in protests last week, many of which were blamed on security forces.
Protesters amassed in Lagos, the largest Nigerian city, on Monday, and security forces fired shots into the air and used tear gas to break them up.
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