At least 2,000 Nigerians marched in the commercial capital, Lagos, Wednesday holding a noisy, but peaceful demonstration ahead of a planned strike.
The marchers finally gathered at a teeming bus station in the Yaba district, where union leaders made speeches and the crowd sang songs. Armed policemen watched the demonstration but kept their distance.
Among the speakers was Adams Oshiomhole, the leader of the Nigeria Labor Congress, who has called for an indefinite nationwide strike beginning November 16 to protest rising oil prices. The government has defended several prices hikes that came after President Olusegun Obasanjo did away with fuel subsidies and a price cap. He has argued that modernizing the nation's oil sector will result in savings which will be used to improve social services for all Nigerians.