22 June 1945: Nigeria general strike
Published: June 22, 2026
Duration: 1:38
On this day, 22 June 1945, tens of thousands of workers in Nigeria defied the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and walked out on a general strike in protest at the British colonial administration refusing to meet workers' demands for a minimum wage of 2 shillings and sixpence and a 50% increase in the cost of living allowance.
The TUC wanted to delay any action, but after months of agitation involving mass meetings of up to 8,000 workers at a time, the workers were not prepared to wait any longer. Railway employees, dockers and civil service workers walked out while many workers at private firms r...
The TUC wanted to delay any action, but after months of agitation involving mass meetings of up to 8,000 workers at a time, the workers were not prepared to wait any longer. Railway employees, dockers and civil service workers walked out while many workers at private firms r...