Abuja-(NAN) Normal activities have resumed in the states following Friday’s announcement by the organised labour to suspend its nationwide strike for two days.

For five consecutive days, the NLC and TUC sustained their protests across the nation against the removal of subsidy on petrol by the government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the strike suspension resulted from intense meetings brokered by the Senate leadership between the Federal Government and labour leaders.

Reports from Gombe on Saturday indicate that normal business activities have resumed in the area as markets and shops, which were closed during the strike, were opened while people were going about their normal activities.

The Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) filling station on the Biu road was selling fuel to motorists.

Comrade Ahmed Maisakala, Gombe State Chairman of the NLC told NAN in Gombe on Saturday that the two-day break was to enable people buy food stuff and other things for their daily needs.

He said that negotiation between labour and Federal Government would continue this Saturday in Abuja over the subsidy withdrawal.

Maisakala said the outcome of the meeting would determine if the strike action would continue on Monday or not.

And from Mubi, Adamawa State, came the report that commercial activities were  picking up after the nationwide strike, had paralysed healthcare services, commercial activities and government’s businesses in the area.

A NAN check in Mubi on Saturday showed that traders and market women had opened their stores while transport operators returned to the streets.

However, banks and businesses had closed their doors against desperate customers.

NAN reports that long queues had emerged at various ATM centres, following the breakdown of ATM services in the last few days.

Some of the customers on queues decried the situation, adding that it had exposed them to more difficulties.

Mikhail Garba, said the machines had not been dispensing cash in the last three days.

“We expected the machines to continue normal work in the next two days but they could not dispense cash,” Garba said.

Another customer, Manzam Audu, called on the banks to provide special services to cater for the needs of their customers.

NAN reports that few medical workers were also attending to patients at the General Hospital, Mubi, while most of the primary healthcare facilities in the area remained closed.

“We do not operate on weekends and that is why the clinics are closed,” said a health worker, who preferred anonymity.

Also in Bauchi, activities returned to normal in the metropolis as shops, filling stations and markets opened for business on major streets.

At the Central Market, traders were seen opening their shops for business while auxiliary activities, including petty traders, sold pap, bean cake and tea by the roadsides.

Malam Ya’u Suru, a tea seller, told NAN that this was the first day of business in the market since the strike started on Monday.

‘’We have endured enough. Some of us who are in daily revenue businesses suffered more because we have to sell to eat.

“We hope the crisis will be resolved by the end of the day for our good.’’

NAN reports that filling stations on the Bauchi-Maiduguri- Kano road and Bauchi-Jos road, the commercial hubs in the metropolis, opened for business.

Mr Andrew Onoja, an attendant at an NNPC mega station, told NAN that the station had run out stock.

‘’Most people came to queue up at our station because of the price compared to other stations in town.

“At least, we sold for N138 per litre while others are selling for between N140 per litre and 150 per litre.’’

The state environment sanitation consultants, Cosmopolitan, were also seen collecting the huge refuse that littered major streets in the town during the strike. (NAN)