Electricity was cut and major airports were forced to close in Nigeria this week. The country’s largest labor unions began a strike to demand salary increases. The country is experiencing the worst cost of living crisis in decades, reports say.
Government workers failed to show up and in some cases shut down offices, including at airports in the capital of Abuja and the economic hub of Lagos. Hundreds of passengers were stranded after local airlines suspended flight operations.
An aviation workers association said workers “should stay away until further notice.”
“We demand a living wage,” the Nigerian Labour Congress said on a post on X. The post said what they currently earn was a “starvation wage.” It and the Trade Union Congress represent hundreds of thousands of government workers across key sectors.
The strike also impacted the national electricity grid shutting down power at a key transmission station, the Transmission Company of Nigeria said.