NLC leaders on a protest march in Abuja on Thursday. Photo: Femi Ipaye

In Kwara state, government, schools and banks remained closed on Thursday in Ilorin as the nationwide strike declared by NLC entered the second day.

Students did not go to school while offices and schools were closed.

Chairman of NLC in the State, Yekini Agunbiade, led workers on a march to the state’s secretariat where they chased away few workers that had reported for work.

Agunbiade said the demonstration would continue as long as the strike lasted, adding that it was a way to show their dissatisfaction with the increase in price of petrol.

“We are not fighting for minimum wage; we are fighting against electricity tariff and price of fuel, the hardship on the masses will be monumental if we did not resist now”, Agunbiade told the demonstrators.

Agunbiade called for the resignation of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachickwu.

According to the NLC chairman, there is no way a civil servant on N18, 000 salary per month can cope with the hardship the increase in petrol price will inflict.

Some residents who spoke NAN expressed their support for the strike and called on the federal government to heed the call of the workers and go back to old prices.

An electrician at Sabo Oke, Mr Mike Aberuagba said the hardship the new petrol price will have on the masses was better imagined than experienced.

Secretary of NULGE, Afolabi Abayomi condemned those comparing prices of petrol in other African countries with that of Nigeria.

Abayomi, who said the minimum wage of N18, 000 can only buy 124 liters of petrol, advised proponents of increase in fuel price to tell Nigerians minimum wages in those African countries.

He said many local governments in the state owed their workers up to five months salaries.

The NULGE scribe wondered how local government workers will survive the harsh economic situation occasioned by the increase in petrol price.