Nigerian labour unions have begun an indefinite general strike, bringing parts of the country to a standstill and posing Umaru Yar’Adua, the country’s new president, with his first major crisis.

Unions had called for the strike in protest against a hike in fuel prices and VAT, and the sale of two state owned oil refineries to business allies of former president Olusegun Obasanjo during his last days in office.