Nigeria censors documentary on nationwide protests as crackdown on government criticism grows

LAGOS, Nigeria - Nigeria's government has refused to allow a documentary about a massive strike last year to be shown publicly in the country.

The 30-minute film called "Fuelling Poverty" has been online for months, but recently Nigerian officials have refused its director permission to show it publicly in this oil-rich nation of more than 160 million people. While free speech is enshrined in this democratic nation's constitution, an ever-increasing drumbeat of complaints and critical articles about the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has seen authorities increasingly target journalists and others.

The film focuses on the protests around Jonathan's decision to remove subsidies on gasoline in January 2012. Life in Nigeria ground to a halt before unions backed down. Lawmakers later demanded businesses and government agencies to return $6.7 billion over the subsidy.