10th January, 2012
Schools in Lagos State failed to re-open on Monday, after the first term holiday as workers and civil society groups began a nationwide protest over the removal of subsidy on petrol.
Workers embarked on an indefinite strike in obedience to a directive by the two labour unions, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the removal of the subsidy on January 1 by the Federal Government.
Since the removal, transportation costs have doubled and subsequently the prices of goods have risen .
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at 7a.m on .Monday, the premises of some public and private schools in Ogba, Ikeja Local Government Area and environs were locked in spite of the fact that they were supposed to re-open.
At Oke Ira , Ojodu Grammar School, BABS Fafunwa Millennium High School, Ojodu, Frances International Junior School, Ogba, and MD schools, Ojodu, neither the students nor teachers were present.
However, the head teacher of Frances International Junior School, Mr. Paul Osei, who later came around but did not open the gates of the school, told NAN that the schools were obeying the directives of the state government that schools should not resume till further notice.
“We are supposed to resume today, but that will no longer be possible because of the present situation in the country.
“We do not want to act alone, so we also need to stay at home and monitor the outcome of things in the next few days to know the way forward.
“The whole development is indeed regrettable because we now have to go the extra mile to run the schools overhead cost as well as maintain education standards,” Osei said.
Meanwhile, some youths around Ogba, consisting mainly of students, converted major streets in the area to football pitches.
One of the youths, Mr. Ajala Hassan, a 400-Level student of University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), told NAN that they supported the protest called by labour and civil society organisations.