The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress to postpone its current strike until after the forthcoming Eid al-Adha festival, warning that it could make life unpleasant for Muslims preparing for the celebrations.
In a statement released on Monday, MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, expressed concern that the strike’s impact on the transport, petroleum, and electrical sectors would seriously disrupt Muslims’ plans for the Eid festivities, which are just a few days away.
“There is no scintilla of doubt that the strike will make life unbearable for Muslims preparing for Id al-kabiir (Salah), which is just a few days away,” the statement read.
It added, “Transport fares to and fro their various destinations will skyrocket. Movements will be so adversely affected that the whole Salah period will become a horrendous experience. Is that what NLC wants?”
MURIC berated the NLC’s approach, labelling it “aggressive, arrogant, fascist, and partisan,” and accusing the labour union of showing no respect for the rule of law or democratic practices.
“If we cannot speak for the government, what about Nigerian Muslims whose lives your strike could turn into a sheer nightmare?” Is this a deliberate attempt to make life uncomfortable for Muslims? Will the NLC declare a strike one week before Christmas? Or is this about bringing down our Muslim-Muslim ticket? Is this part of the ‘religious war’ of ‘Yes Daddy’?” the statement questioned.
MURIC also questioned whether Muslim workers were appropriately represented in the NLC’s leadership and advisory committees and whether their concerns were considered before the strike was launched.
“We advise NLC to postpone it until after the Salah. If NLC rejects our advice and goes ahead with its satanic strike, we will ask all Muslim workers who know that they will meet Allah yaom al-Qiyaamah (The Last Day) not to cooperate with NLC. They should reject the strike because it is an assault on the religion of Islam,” the statement urged.
“We say ‘No to Strike in Salah,’” the statement added.
