[4] Protests took place across the country, including in the cities of Kano, Surulere, Ojota ( -part of metropolitan Lagos ), Abuja, Minna, and at the Nigerian High Commission in London.

[5] The country produces about 2.4 million barrels of crude oil daily which is exported to be refined abroad; however due to years of corruption-fueled neglect the domestic refineries are inoperative.

In addition, the economy is heavily reliant on crude oil (amongst other reasons, due to absence of essential infrastructure and services such as constant electricity).

The removal of the subsidy took effect from Sunday, 1 January 2012 as announced by the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA Reginald Stanley.

Nigeria's main trade unions have also announced an indefinite strike and mass demonstrations from Monday, 9 January 2012 unless the removal of a fuel subsidy is reversed.

"We have the total backing of all Nigerian workers on this strike and mass protest," the Nigeria Labour Congress's Chris Uyot told the BBC.

[10] Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Lamido Sanusi told the BBC the subsidy (which he said cost the government about $8bn last year) was "unsustainable".

[16] The Occupy Nigeria Movement planned another protest at Eagle Square, Abuja on Friday, 6 January 2012 while another one held simultaneously at the Nigerian Embassy in London.

[17] Although such rumours are typical in a country like Nigeria where political opponents are known to hijack such protests in a bid to tarnish the public image of incumbent government.

he added[21] Following the emergency meeting of the Federal Executive Council, in Abuja, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, told newsmen the government was not oblivious of the pains inflicted by Nigerians as a result of the new policy.

In order to ameliorate those pains, he said the government had commenced a 'massive mass transit scheme' aimed at cushioning the effects of the subsidy removal on transportation.