A STRIKE over fuel prices and government corruption has brought Nigeria to a standstill. Tens of thousands of workers in Africa's second-biggest economy have vowed to continue their protests until a popular fuel subsidy is restored.

Shops, markets, banks and public offices have been closed for three days. Some international flights have been cancelled. Roads have been empty of cars and buses. Instead, the streets of cities across the country have been filled with thousands of protesters. The demonstrations have mostly been peaceful but at least three people were killed and dozens more injured when police fired on protesters accused of rioting in Lagos and Kano.

Nigeria's two main unions called the strike after the government removed petrol subsidies, causing prices to spike from $0.40 to $0.93 a litre overnight. The average wage in Nigeria is $2 a day. Those protesting say the poorest in the country will be hit hardest by higher food and transport costs. But economists say the fuel subsidy is wasteful and has discouraged private investment in Nigeria's oil industry.

Fury over the removal of the subsidy regime has fuelled public anger over decades of corruption and excessive spending by politicians. “How can they bear to spend that much when the president's people go to bed hungry,” asked John Ogidi, one of the protesters in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. “The money thieved over the years by the corrupt government should have been given to the people and used to restore the country. Instead they steal from the masses, punishing them for the mistakes they made.”

The government has threatened a “no work-no pay” policy for public servants who go on strike. Trade unions said that the “political disobedience” would continue until the government lowers fuel prices are restored. The strike is costing Nigeria millions of dollars a day. That, combined with rising fears about sectarian violence, means that Goodluck Jonathan is facing the biggest test of his presidency so far.