Protests were ongoing in cities everywhere from the commercial centre Lagos in the south to the remote and restive city of Maiduguri in the far northeast.
In Lagos, tens of thousands gathered in Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, where women selling drinks and Afrobeat music pumping out of loud speakers gave the protest a carnival atmosphere. Many chanted anti-government slogans.
A group of demonstrators beat drums and slapped an effigy of Jonathan across the face with leafy branches.
"Our leaders have betrayed us too many times and this is the last time. They only care about themselves, not the common people," said Olu Shittu, expressing widely held view Nigeria's elite are too busy lining their own pockets to be moved by the plight of the poor.
"We're staying here until they put the subsidy back."
President Jonathan has shown no sign of backing down on his government's decision to scrap a subsidy economists say was wasteful and corrupt.
Publicly unions have said they will only stop strikes if the government returns petrol prices to the pre-subsidy removal rate of 65 naira and the government has said it will not reverse its decision to scrap subsisides from January 1.
The national assembly has already urged the government and unions to back down but without success.
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