Nigerian protests continue over fuel price


LAGOS, Nigeria, July 8 (UPI) --
Fuel price protests raged in Nigeria, with the government trying to quell disturbances before President Bush's scheduled Friday visit.
The London Telegraph said several protesters were reported killed in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, Monday during a general strike.
The labor unrest began last week when the Nigeria Labor Congress and the Trades Union Congress called the strike to protest a 50 percent rise in fuel prices.
Rioting blocked several roads, with strikers clashing with police officers armed with shotguns and machetes. One union official said at least 10 protesters have been killed but police denied the report.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's government was under growing pressure to solve the dispute before Bush's arrival.
The Telegraph noted Obasanjo offered during weekend protests to reduce the price rise to 35 percent. That persuaded the largely white-collar TUC to tell its members to go back to work but the blue-collar Labor Congress called for more protests.
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