The Head of Information and Public Affair at the Nigeria Labour Congress Benson Upah expounds on the main elements in the agreement between Nigerian government and the labour union following the suspension of the countrywide strike.
Related story: Video - Government of Nigeria and major unions work on lowering cost of living
The planned nationwide strike was averted after intense negotiations between labour unions and the government. The unions halted the strike action for 30 days, after the government agreed to put measures in place to ease the current economic hardship.
Related story: Labour unions of Nigeria suspend indefinite strike
Gunmen in Nigeria kidnapped five female students from a university in the northwestern Katsina state on Wednesday, the police said, the second such abduction involving students in the region within a month.
Kidnapping for ransom by armed gangs is rife in northwest Nigeria due to high levels of poverty, unemployment and the proliferation of illegal firearms.
Katsina police spokesperson Abubakar Sadiq, in a statement, said the incident occurred early on Wednesday at the Federal University in Dutsin-Ma town.
The police have "deployed all its tactical and operational assets with a view to rescuing the victims unhurt", he said, adding one suspect is already in custody.
On Sept. 22, at least 24 female students were abducted from their hostel at the Federal University Gusau, in Zamfara state. Sixteen of them were freed three days later following a rescue operation by security forces.
By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters
Related stories: 14 students abducted in Zamfara, Nigeria rescued
Video - Is Nigeria's security crisis out of control?
Nearly 40 people are missing and presumed to have drowned in Nigeria after a passenger boat capsized in strong currents, according to a local official. The Monday accident took place in the northwestern state of Kebbi. Authorities are searching for the passengers with the help of local divers.
At least 18 people, including a pregnant woman, have died in southern Nigeria when an illegal oil refinery exploded into flames, a security official and residents said.
The blaze took place early on Monday in Rivers State’s Emohua district when a homemade refinery ignited a nearby oil reservoir, leaving victims severely burned, according to a report by AFP news agency on Tuesday.
“The fire outbreak started at a very late hour … 18 victims were burnt beyond recognition while 25 injured persons were rescued,” said Olufemi Ayodele, spokesman for the local Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“Most of the victims were youths … a pregnant woman and a young lady getting ready for her marriage ceremony next month were all casualties,” he said.
In another report, the Reuters news agency, citing a local Ibaa community leader, said as many as 37 people died in the blaze.
“Thirty-five people were caught in the fire. Two people who were lucky to escape also died this morning [Tuesday] in hospital,” Rufus Welekem, the head of security in the community, told Reuters.
Illegal refining is common in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria as impoverished locals tap pipelines to make fuel to sell for a profit. The practice, which can be as basic as boiling crude oil in drums to extract fuel, is often deadly.
Nigeria – an OPEC member and one of Africa’s largest petroleum producers – has for years tried to clamp down on illegal crude refineries, with little success, in part because powerfully connected politicians and security officials are involved, local environmental groups say.
Crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and legal battles over oil spills are pushing oil majors operating in Nigeria to sell their onshore and shallow water assets to concentrate on deepwater operations.
Al Jazeera
Related stories: Explosion at Nigerian illegal oil refinery kills more than 100
