STORY: Nigerian labor unions begin mass protests over tough economic policies
DATELINE: Aug. 4, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:11
LOCATION: Abuja
CATEGORY: SOCIETY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of protests
2. various of labor union leaders after a meeting
3. SOUNDBITE (English): BOLA AHMED TINUBU, Nigerian president
4. various of grains being harvested and bagged
5. various of stranded Nigerians at fuel station
 
STORYLINE:
 
Defying all entreaties by the country's leadership, labor unions in Nigeria on Wednesday took to the streets across the nation to express their dissatisfaction with recent economic policies implemented by the government.
 
Workers from various sectors marched together in solidarity, demanding robust welfare packages in response to the hardships faced by the people due to the removal of the long-existing subsidies on petrol, which resulted in rising inflation and a high cost of living. The demands of the labor unions also include the government's reversal of increases in school fees across the country's higher institutions, as well as taxes and utility tariffs.
 
In an address to the nation on Monday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called for calm and unity in response to the implementation of policies aimed at stabilizing the country's economy.
 
Tinubu acknowledged the difficulties that the citizens were facing due to the government's economic reforms but emphasized the necessity of the measures to steer the most populous African country toward sustainable growth.
 
SOUNDBITE (English): BOLA AHMED TINUBU, Nigerian president
"Our economy is going through a tough patch and you are being hurt by it. The cost of fuel has gone up. Food and other prices have followed it. Households and businesses struggle. Things seem anxious and uncertain. I understand the hardship you face. I wish there were other ways. But there is not. If there were, I would have taken that route as I came here to help, not hurt the people and nation that I love so dearly."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Abuja.
(XHTV)