Nigerians have developed a unique response to strikes, as was seen on October 6, 2003. Thousands of panic-stricken people besieged banks to withdraw money and stockpile food even as the Nigeria Labour Congress (nlc) announced another round of action, to protest a 12 per cent hike in fuel prices.

At a meeting held over the weekend, the nlc insisted the price rise had negated an earlier agreement between them and government, in which the price of petrol had been fixed at 34 Naira (34 us cents) per litre, and that of diesel and kerosene at 32 Naira (32 us cents) per litre. After the increase, fuel operators shut down their filling stations, to create artificial scarcity and force new prices. As a result, a litre of petrol now cost up to 45 Naira (45 us cents) in Lagos, and 100 Naira (one us dollar) in the northern state of Bauchi.

While the government denied it had approved the increase, what caused the cost of fuel to jump by 12 per cent was a move by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency