Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan is facing opposition to his decision to cut fuel subsidies, which saw petrol prices double overnight when the decision was made at the start of the year.

Labour unions have now called for a nationwide strike to begin on Monday. This comes following a series of demonstrations held over the past week.

Sectarian violence in the country has also worsened recently, causing a rise in tensions on the street.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's finance minister, spoke to Al Jazeera from the capital Abuja.