Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have commenced protests over the removal of petrol subsidy.

The protesters have converged on the Ikeja under-bridge in Lagos.

Last Wednesday, NLC issued a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government to reverse all “anti-poor” and “insensitive” policies.

The union also called on civil society organisations (CSOs) and its councils across the states to join in the August 2 nationwide rally to protest the soaring cost of living in the country.

Efforts by the federal government to halt the planned strike and protest failed.

During his inaugural address on May 29, President Bola Tinubu announced that the petrol subsidy regime was over.

The pronouncement immediately led to a hike in the pump price of petrol, a quadrupling of transportation costs in certain areas, and ballooning inflation across several market segments.

In a nationwide broadcast on Monday, Tinubu reeled out palliatives that would cushion the impact of the petrol subsidy removal on the masses.