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NEWS & LETTERS,
January-February 2002
Column: Our Life and Times by Kevin A. Barry and
Mary Holmes
Strike in Nigeria
In January, for the second time
in less than two years, Nigerian workers staged a nationwide general strike. The
Nigerian Labor Congress called the strike to protest new government policies,
forced upon Nigeria by global capitalism, that are allowing fuel prices to rise
dramatically—18% overall, but a shocking 40% for kerosene used by the masses
for cooking. Major commercial and industrial
cities such as Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, Kano, Makurdi, and Port Harcourt were all
shut down. Banks closed down after a warning by strikers that those staying open
should be ready "to give out free cash." The government responded with
repression rather than negotiations. It got the courts to declare the strike
illegal and arrested union leaders, who called off the strike after two days. Meanwhile, Islamist politicians
in northern Nigeria continue to extend medieval Sharia law, claiming it will
fight crime. This has led to international protests around the case of Safiya
Husaini, a woman sentenced to be stoned to death for "adultery" after
giving birth to a child out of wedlock. Husaini's case has sparked protests by
feminist and left groups around the world. Inside Nigeria, the mysterious
assassination in December of Justice Minister Bola Ige has been linked by some
observers to his criticisms of Sharia law. Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, speaking
at Ige's funeral, declared that "the murderers are among us," an
implicit reference to conservative Muslim elements that dominate not only the
northern states, but also the army. |
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