Many states across Nigeria snubbed the Nigeria Labour Congress on the first day of its call on Nigerian workers to embark on a strike action to protest the increase in the pump price of petrol.
Apart from Ebonyi state, where a total shut down of the state was carried out by union leaders, and Gombe where partial compliance was recorded, in many states it was business as usual.
NAN correspondents who monitored the situation in north east states reported that key institutions such as banks, schools, state and federal secretariats, hospitals, markets and all major commercial, centres were open for normal activities.
In Bauchi where some youths demonstrated Tuesday in support of the deregulation of the downstream oil sector, labour officials did not attempt to enforce the strike.
A civil servant working with the state government, Sanusi Ibrahim, said most workers were not in support of the strike.
“When we were not paid our salary for over eight months, what did the NLC do?
“Before the removal of subsidy, we were buying fuel at the cost of N300 per litre; in some states, even N500.
“Now the fuel is available at maximum of N145. The NLC should leave us alone,” he said.
Contacted on telephone Wednesday for his comment, Chairman of NLC in the state, Comrade Hashimu Gitel, said he was on his way to Abuja.
He however said that his colleagues would brief the press later in the day.
Normal activities are also going on in Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, with banks, schools, hospitals, state and federal secretariats open for business.
An official of the NLC in the state who did not want his name mentioned, told NAN that they would meet later in the day to decide on their next line of action.
NAN correspondents in Yola also reported that normal activities are going on in Yola and other major towns of Adamawa as schools, banks, markets, as well as the State and Federal secretariats remained open.