Nigeria loses electricity and major airports close as unions begin strikes

Africa’s most populous country ground to a halt on Monday with electricity cut and major airports closed (Sunday Alamba/AP)

Africa’s most populous country ground to a halt on Monday with electricity cut and major airports closed, as Nigeria’s largest labour unions began striking to demand a salary increase amid the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.

President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms — including ending fuel subsidies — have resulted in surging inflation that is at a 28-year record high.