Nigeria police fire tear gas at Lagos protest

Nigerian police fired tear gas yesterday in Lagos at hundreds of protestors marching against the authorities’ security crackdown in the aftermath of a week-long strike over fuel prices.
According to an AFP correspondent, more than 200 protestors defied police warnings and marched towards a park in the economic capital that had become the epicentre of mass mobilisation against the removal of fuel subsidies.
One protester fainted from inhaling the tear gas.
Troops deployed heavily on Monday after President Goodluck Jonathan was forced into a partial climbdown over fuel prices by nationwide strikes that threatened to shut down the production of Africa’s largest oil exporter.
Heavily armed soldiers have since been stationed in parts of the country and sealed off the main protest ground in Lagos.
Yesterday’s protests were led by a former presidential candidate in the 1999 elections, Tunji Braithwaite, alongside a host of other respected Nigerians, including a former finance minister, Muslim leaders and lawyers.
“As elders we are totally against the military siege in Lagos. This is a democracy. They should be withdrawn immediately,” Braithwaite told the protesters before the march.
Losses hit USD 1.3 billion
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s national statistics bureau put the losses of Africa’s largest oil exporter during the crippling strike at USD 1.3 billion (1 billion euros)
“It is estimated that the nation lost 207,408 million naira during the eight-day strike,” it said in a statement.
The wholesale and retail sector was the worst hit with losses of about 87 billion naira, or 42 percent of the total losses, it said.
The oil and gas industry was next with losses of 28.7 billion naira. The sector accounts for more than 90 percent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings from oil.
The strike and protests were suspended on Monday after President Goodluck Jonathan reduced the price of fuel per litre from 141 naira to 97.