Financial Times: Nigerian general strike suspended: “Nigeria's three leading oil companies - Royal Dutch/ Shell, ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco - declined to comment on whether they were taking emergency action to safeguard an export industry that accounts for 10 per cent of US crude supplies.” (ShellNews.net) 16 Nov 04

By Michael Peel

Published: November 16 2004

Nigerian trade unions and civil society groups suspended a planned general strike last night that could have disrupted the country's near-2.5m barrel a day oil industry and the government's controversial economic reform programme.

The government announced a partial climbdown by agreeing to reduce the price of fuel by almost 6 per cent.

Chris Uyot, assistant general secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, said the strike had been suspended after an emergency meeting yesterday of union leaders.

Nigeria's three leading oil companies - Royal Dutch/ Shell, ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco - declined to comment on whether they were taking emergency action to safeguard an export industry that accounts for 10 per cent of US crude supplies.

Michael Peel, Lagos