Broadcast: July 2, 2003

Violence ¹⁾Escalates in 3rd Day of Nigeria Strike Against Fuel Price Hike

Violence has escalated in Nigeria on the third day of a strike to protest a massive fuel-price increase. Dozens of people have been injured in clashes involving civilians and security forces. Union leaders have complained of excessive force used on protesters.

Police fired bullets in several parts of Nigeria's main city, Lagos, to disperse demonstrators trying to prevent access to markets and to the main port.

In the capital, Abuja, there were ²⁾clashes between union ³⁾activists and market workers who refused to join the protest action. Security forces were deployed to defuse the situation, but instead ⁴⁾triggered a ⁵⁾stampede when they fired ⁶⁾live rounds and tear gas into the air.

There have been reports of violence in Abuja and Lagos since Monday, but on Wednesday the strike seems to be marked more by the ⁷⁾rowdy demonstrations than by workers actually staying home.

The protest action Wednesday also spread to parts of Nigeria's oil-producing southeastern regions, where demonstrators lit ⁸⁾bonfires on major streets.

The secretary general of the Nigerian Labor Congress, John Odah, said Tuesday union leaders were trying to convince police to use less force against protesters. "We have reports coming in to indicate that police are becoming very violent," said Mr. Odah, "And we are getting in touch with the ⁹⁾hierarchy of the police ¹⁰⁾establishment."

Union leaders have also failed to convince government officials to reverse the fuel price hike, despite several rounds of negotiations since Monday.

Retail fuel prices went up more than 50 percent last month after the government ¹¹⁾slashed subsidies to Nigerians. Union officials say staging the strike is the only way to begin a dialogue.

In a speech broadcast on television Tuesday, President Olusegun Obasanjo clearly ¹²⁾enunciated the government position. He said it was time for Nigeria to make its oil sector more competitive, and that one way to do this is by ending the oil subsidies.

"Nigeria has ¹³⁾lagged behind since 1960 because we do not have the courage to move as we should move and putting behind us the easy way out," said President Obasanjo. "Not fighting the issue of fuel subsidies is the easy way out, and nobody succeeds by following the easy way out. We must struggle. We must make sacrifices."

The government says the price rise is also needed to end internal shortages and to ¹⁴⁾curb smuggling of cheaper Nigerian oil to neighboring countries.

Union leaders say ordinary Nigerians should not bear the ¹⁵⁾brunt of reform. They say officials should ¹⁶⁾crack down on corruption and fuel smuggling more effectively.

The main oil workers union is now threatening a shutdown of Nigeria's oil industry if the strike is not resolved by Sunday night.

Nico Colombant VOA news, Abidjan.

1) escalate [5eskEleit] v.逐步升级

2) clash [klAF] n.冲突

3) activist [5Aktivist] n.激进分子

4) trigger [5tri^E] vt.引发，引起

5) stampede [stAm5pi:d] n.惊跑

6) live round 实弹

7) rowdy [5raudi] adj.吵闹的，粗暴的

8) bonfire [5bCn7faiE] n.篝火，营火

9) hierarchy [5haiErB:ki] n.统治集团掌握权威的一群人

10) establishment [is5tAbliFmEnt] n.当权派机构或团体的当权派

11) slash [slAF] vt.大幅削减

12) enunciate [i5nQnsieit] v.阐明，清晰发言

13) lag behind 落在后面

14) curb [kE:b] vt.抑制，控制

15) brunt [brQnt] n冲击，冲势

16) crack down 采取严厉手段

播报时间：2003年7月2日

尼日利亚因油价上扬而起的罢工活动已持续三天，暴力活动升级

在尼日利亚，为抗议燃料价格大幅上涨而进行的罢工活动进入到了第三天，暴力活动随之升级。平民和安全部队发生了冲突，数十人受伤。工会领导人对抗议者受到的过度暴力进行了控诉。

为驱散企图阻止他人进入市场和主要港口的示威者，警察在尼日利亚的主要城市--拉各斯的一些地方开了枪。

在首都阿布贾，工会的激进分子同拒绝参加抗议行动的市场工人发生了冲突。安全部队受命前去平息局势，可当他们向空中发射子弹和催泪瓦斯时反而使人群受惊。

自周一以来，就不断传来关于阿布贾和拉各斯的暴力事件报告，可是在周三，这次罢工活动的特征似乎更明显地表现为混乱的示威游行，而并非真正呆在家中的工人。

星期三，抗议活动还蔓延到尼日利亚东南产油区的部分地区，示威者在那里的主要街道上点燃了篝火。

尼日利亚劳工会议秘书长约翰·奥达在周二说，工会领导人试图说服警方在对待示威者上少用武力。“我们有报告显示，警方正变得非常粗暴。”奥达先生说，“我们正同警方的高层人物进行联系。”

尽管自周一以来进行了多回合谈判，但工会领导人还是没能说服政府撤消燃料价格上涨的决定。

当政府于上月大幅削减对尼日利亚人的补贴后，燃料的零售价格上涨了50%以上。工会官员说，举行罢工活动是开启对话的唯一途径。

在周二的一次电视广播中，奥卢塞贡·奥巴桑乔总统清楚地阐明了政府的立场。他说，到了使尼日利亚石油部门更具竞争力的时候了，而那样做的方式之一就是结束石油补贴。

“自20世纪60年代以来，尼日利亚就落后了，因为我们没有勇气采取本应采取的行动，使我们没有取得捷径。”奥巴桑乔总统说，“不通过斗争来解决燃料补贴问题是一条捷径，可是没人通过这种捷径取得成功。我们必须奋斗。我们必须做出牺牲。”

政府说，价格上调也是结束国内短缺状况、抑制廉价的尼日利亚石油被走私到邻国所必需的。

工会领导人说，普通尼日利亚人不应当承受改革的冲击。他们说，官员们应该更有效地打击腐败和燃料走私。

主要的石油工人工会日前威胁，如果罢工活动到周日晚得不到解决，他们将使尼日利亚的石油工业停工。

这是“美国之音”新闻部的尼可科罗邦特从阿比让发出的报道。