US embassy cable - 04ABUJA1761

UNCLAS ABUJA 001761 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ELAB, EPET, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA NATIONWIDE STRIKE -- ROUND ONE ENDS 
 
REF:  A. LAGOS 2107 AND PREVIOUS 
 
      B. ABUJA 1727 AND PREVIOUS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR PUBLICATION ON THE 
INTRANET OR INTERNET. 
 
1. (SBU) Late October 14 the Nigeria Labour Congress 
(NLC) declared that the "first phase" of its nationwide 
strike had been a success and would be suspended for 
two weeks to see if the GON rolls back the price 
increase on gasoline.  Business was back to normal in 
most parts of the country on October 15, now that the 
strike is suspended, although banks, schools and some 
larger businesses reportedly still are observing the 
stay-at-home in Delta State. 
 
2. (SBU) President Obasanjo's 32-member stakeholders 
committee, chaired by Deputy Senate President Ibrahim 
Mantu, is already drawing criticism from the NLC and 
several sectors of Nigeria's political class.  One 
cause was Mantu's reportedly telling committee members 
that the committee was not a forum for negotiations, 
but rather for reaching solutions to discussing prices 
and a mechanism for stabilizing prices.  It is unclear 
whether this committee will be a forum for resolving 
the suspended strike issue, although the committee's 
NLC members have not pulled out. 
 
3. (SBU) NLC sources said in public and private that 
they thought the first phase of the strike had been a 
success.  NLC President Oshiomhole claimed 95 percent 
of union members had participated, but was especially 
jubilant that so many non-NLC workers had stayed at 
home too.  Even GON offices were affected.  Econoffs 
going to a scheduled meeting at the Commerce Ministry 
October 14 as the strike was winding down, for example, 
arrived to find the Ministry's front doors locked 
because there were not enough junior staff on hand.  A 
door at the back was open, however, and we were able to 
do our business. 
 
4. (SBU) Comment:  Back-door business of a totally 
different kind has been rather the norm for resolving 
the repeated gasoline price-hike strikes of the past. 
While real bargaining went through various conduits, 
some sort of public intermediary -- a committee of 
senators or governors, or a court -- stepped out on 
stage to reach a "resolution" that ended the labor 
action and temporarily rolled back at least part of 
gasoline price increase.  The NLC's stay-at-home tactic 
this time seems to have been more successful than its 
demonstrations-based mass actions of the past, however. 
The bargaining could become rougher this time or the 
resolution different, better or worse for the NLC and 
GON adversaries. 
ANYASO