Nigerians ready for deal or no deal

Labour unions in Nigeria aren’t protesting this weekend.

It’s amazing how things have changed.

When I arrived in Abuja, the capital, last Saturday there were very few cars on the road or people on the street.
 
When the fuel subsidy protest started on Monday, the central business diestrict felt like a ghost town.

It felt as if most people had left the city. Shops and business were closed, police were out in full force and the atmosphere was tense.

We have just arrived back in Abuja from Kano – a journey that took about five hours by road.

The traffic was terrible. Lots and lots of private cars, public transport and fuel tankers – all trying to get into the capital.
 
There are long queues at petrol stations as people fill up their cars.

A few shops are open and families are doing their weekend shopping.

Shopping carts are full, I suppose some are buying a little bit extra just in case unions don’t sign a deal with the government on Saturday night.
 
A lot of Nigerians will be glued to television sets waiting for the news.

If no deal is struck tonight, I’m afraid that means more protests, more incidences of police firing live ammunition on protesters and Abuja going back to being a ghost town.

I watch a young mother trying to push her shopping cart to her car and trying to carry her baby at the same time.

I offer to give her a hand. She’s relieved, smiles and says thank you.

Then she says: “I’m not taking any chances this time – we could be stuck indoors for longer than a week if there is no agreement.”

Stuck in doors for longer a week … imagine how frustating that would be?