Police arrested Nigerian labour leader Mr Adams Oshiomhole and fired teargas at picket lines today at the start of an indefinite gasoline price strike declared illegal by the government, officials said.
The government deployed armed police in the capital Abuja and in the biggest city, Lagos, to make good its promise to guarantee safety for people willing to go to work.
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But most of the country's big cities were paralysed by the strike, except for the inland capital Abuja where most government offices and businesses opened normally. Airports remained open and flights were unaffected.
An 18 per cent increase in fuel prices from January 1st is central to President Olusegun Obasanjo's plan to deregulate fuel marketing and end annual subsidies of some 2 billion.
Labour leaders accuse President Obasanjo of succumbing to pressure from Western creditors demanding an end to subsidies before Nigeria gets relief on its foreign debt of about 30 billion.
Mr Oshiomhole is president of the umbrella Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) which ordered workers to strike until the government reversed the price increases.
Officials said Mr Oshiomhole was with union pickets stopping civil servants from going to work in Abuja when police stormed the picket line, firing teargas and tearing down barricades.
A police statement confirmed Mr Oshiomhole and nine other NLC leaders had been arrested and would face public order charges.
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions issued a swift statement from Brussels condemning the arrests and demanding the release of the labour leaders.
"The NLC call for a national strike is perfectly legal. The right to strike is an internationally recognised right for all workers...," it said.