News Report: Nigerian Government, Labour End Protests On Security Concern

President Goodluck Jonathan

The Federal government of Nigeria has reduced the pump price of petrol which it initially pegged at N141 per litre on new year day to N97 per litre in a last bid to persuade Labour and its civil society collaborators to call off its week long strike and protests, called to protest the increase, due to security concern.

After a meeting with governors and ministers yesterday, the Nigerian President; Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in a national broadcast this morning announced the newest pump price. Labour reacted immediately by suspending the protests, but asked its members to remain at home.

A high level Presidency contact informed chidi opara reports this morning that during the meeting, the President informed participants of a recent security report which detailed the hijack of the protests by an opposition political party and some disgruntled individuals who had had disagreements with the President.

The security report, according to this contact, also detailed a plan by the Al-quaeda linked Boko Haram to take advantage of the situation to wreck more havoc.

We could not ascertain at the time of preparing this report, how this information reached the Labour leaders, but it is likely that Governor Adams Oshohmole of Edo state, a former Labour leader, may have informed the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) and Trade Union Congress(TUC) Presidents of this development immediately after the meeting. An Oshohmole aide told chidi opara reports on phone this morning that; "oga is always calling the comrades".

Unconfirmed information available to us indicates that the Lagos protests are facilitated by a major opposition politician. Lagos is the commercial capital city of Nigeria and the major city in Lagos state. Lagos state is controlled by the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN). A state security service(SSS) operative told a chidi opara reports network member in Lagos last week that; "we are closely watching key opposition figures here."

Some prominent Nigerians who have had disagreements with the President have been seen in the fore of the protests tagged "Occupy Nigeria", in major Nigerian cities and in major cities around the world.