US embassy cable - 04LAGOS2107

UNCLAS LAGOS 002107 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, PGOV, EPET, KDEM, ECON, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA NATIONWIDE STRIKE SITREP #4: OCTOBER 14 
 
REF: A. A. LAGOS 2072 
 
     B. B. ABUJA 1727 
     C. C. LAGOS 2096 
 
1. (U) Summary. The nationwide strike continued for its 
fourth day. The joint labor-civil society coalition will meet 
in Abuja this afternoon and is expected to suspend the strike 
for two weeks as planned. Oil production remains unaffected. 
Around the country, many banks, offices, and schools remained 
closed, though movement and commercial activity increased 
from yesterday. There have been no reported security 
incidents involving American 
citizens.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) The Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday declined the 
GON motion for injunction relief to stop the four-day strike. 
 
3. (U) The joint labor-civil society coalition will meet in 
Abuja this afternoon to review the four-day strike. Coalition 
leaders are expected to formally suspend the strike for two 
weeks, in keeping with the resolution passed last week by the 
National Executive Council of the National Labor Congress 
(NLC). The coalition also will deliberate on strategies for 
the next phase of the strike, which would begin October 29 
should the GON and the coalition fail to reach an agreement. 
 
4. (U) Also, NLC President Adams Oshiomhole is expected to 
announce his decision on whether to continue participation in 
the standing committee established by the GON to identify 
measures to ease the hardship caused by the fuel price hike. 
Labor has previously criticized the committee as a tactic by 
the GON to finesse the public into seeing the price hike as a 
fait accompli. Publicly, Labor has stuck to the position that 
it would only be satisfied with a return to the former price. 
If Labor withdraws from the committee, both sides will have 
to identify another venue where GON-Labor negotiations can 
take place. 
 
5. (U) Oil sector contacts continue to report no effect on 
production. 
 
Reports from around the Country 
------------------------------- 
 
6. (U) LAGOS: Some fuel stations opened in Lagos today, and 
queues quickly formed at the pumps. Government offices, 
schools, and banks remained closed. The Nigerian Stock 
Exchange and the Lagos office of the Central Bank were open. 
In Oshogbo, members of the commercial drivers union 
reportedly seized the vehicles of union members not observing 
the strike. 
 
7. (U) ONITSHA: Movement of people and traffic has increased. 
Like yesterday, some banks are open. Most schools remained 
closed. 
 
8. (U) CALABAR: The governor's office operated on skeletal 
staff; other government offices remained closed. 
 
9. (U) PORT HARCOURT: Banks remained closed, as did most fuel 
stations. The city is generally quiet. Pedestrian and 
vehicular movement is still less than normal, but people are 
moving freely. 
 
10. (U) DELTA STATE: The Delta State Council of the NLC 
reportedly decided to extend the strike to include Friday. 
The council said it will extend the strike to show solidarity 
with NLC President Oshiomhole, who was on his way to Asaba, 
the capital of Delta State, when he was temporarily detained 
last Saturday. 
BROWNE