Cape Town (Platts)--30Apr2008

Nigerian unions pressed on with a strike at ExxonMobil's Nigerian arm
Wednesday despite calls for a suspension while talks with the company and
state-owned NNPC who is mediating the talks continue.

"They are still negotiating and the position right now is that we have
asked that they suspend the strike while the talks continue. We hope by the
end of the day that they may do that," a senior NNPC official told Platts.

The seven-day strike by ExxonMobil's Nigerian affiliates has forced the
company to shut in nearly all of its 800,000 b/d production. Production from
the Yoho, Oso (condensate) and Qua Iboe fields in the east, along with Erha
offshore production in the west, have been disrupted. The company has declared
force majeure on exports from the Qua Iboe terminal.

"The parties are reconvening again today to continue discussions. The
meeting was deadlocked yesterday because ExxonMobil insists the workers must
first call off their strike before it can move ahead with negotiations," an
official of the white-collar Pengassan union told Platts.

ExxonMobil spokesman Yemi Fakayejo also said the strike was continuing.
--Jacinta Moran, jacinta_moran@platts.com