--- description: A union representing millions of workers said it would begin an indefinite strike on Wednesday over official plans to scrap fuel subsidies title: Nigeria Braced for Massive Strike Over Fuel Hikes image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ae04a4eb8857840/698893a90a4a222a409c9b3d/gettyimages-519598696.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Nigeria](/tag/nigeria/) ## Nigeria Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Nigeria Is Bracing for a Potentially Mammoth Strike Over a Hike in the Fuel Price by [Mark Rivett-Carnac](/author/mark-rivett-carnac/) ## Mark Rivett-Carnac Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 18, 2016 7:39 AM CUT  A man sells black-market fuel to a motorist queuing for fuel on a major road in Lagos, Nigeria, on April 7, 2016 A man sells black-market fuel to a motorist queuing for fuel on a major road in Lagos, Nigeria, on April 7, 2016Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Mark Rivett-Carnac](/author/mark-rivett-carnac/) ## Mark Rivett-Carnac Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 18, 2016 7:39 AM CUT A Nigerian labor union said it would begin an indefinite [strike](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-oil-idUSKCN0Y820J "undefined") on Wednesday over government plans to scrap a fuel subsidy and raise gasoline prices by up to 67%. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which represents millions of workers, vowed to push ahead with the strike despite an injunction from the country’s industrial court, according to Reuters. The labor group, which represents millions of workers, said talks with the government broke down Tuesday. The strike comes as Nigeria grapples with an economic crisis. Falling crude prices have cut into the revenue of Africa’s biggest oil producer, which it uses to help fund the import of refined fuel. The International Monetary Fund forecast a 2.3% drop in Nigeria’s growth this year, according to [Bloomberg](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-17/nigeria-unions-divided-on-strike-action-after-fuel-price-rise "undefined"). The government has declared NLC’s strike illegal and discouraged workers from joining. However, in 2012, a similar [strike](http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2104053,00.html "undefined") brought the country to a standstill and forced the government to reinstate some of the fuel subsidies it had tried to repeal. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-oil-idUSKCN0Y820J "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4339653/nigeria-labour-congress-strike-union-fuel-oil/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4339653/nigeria-labour-congress-strike-union-fuel-oil/"},"headline":"Nigeria Is Bracing for a Potentially Mammoth Strike Over a Hike in the Fuel Price","datePublished":"2016-05-18T07:39:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:37:30.443Z","description":"A similar strike in 2012 brought the country to a standstill","url":"https://time.com/4339653/nigeria-labour-congress-strike-union-fuel-oil/","keywords":["Nigeria","Labor","Union","Oil","Fuel","strike"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ae04a4eb8857840/698893a90a4a222a409c9b3d/gettyimages-519598696.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mark Rivett-Carnac","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/mark-rivett-carnac/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ae04a4eb8857840/698893a90a4a222a409c9b3d/gettyimages-519598696.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Fuel Shortages In Nigeria Cause Queues At Gas Stations","caption":"Fuel Shortages In Nigeria Cause Queues At Gas Stations","creditText":"Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/nigeria/","name":"Nigeria"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4339653/nigeria-labour-congress-strike-union-fuel-oil/","name":"Nigeria Is Bracing for a Potentially Mammoth Strike Over a Hike in the Fuel Price"}}]}] ```