The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has issued a scathing criticism of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), accusing them of plotting to sabotage the upcoming Salah celebrations with their ongoing nationwide strike.
This was stated in a press release signed by its director, Prof Ishaq Oyetola.
Condemning the NLC’s timing of the strike, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) accused the organized labor union of deliberately creating hardships for Muslims who are preparing to celebrate the important festival of Id Al-Kabiir. According to the group, the NLC’s decision to commence the strike so close to the religious holiday demonstrates a blatant disregard for the Muslim community’s right to a peaceful and joyful celebration.
The statement read in part; “As expected, the workers unions of other service providing sectors like petroleum and electricity have offered to join. This means the lives of Nigerians are likely to be thrown into a state of higgledy-piggledy in the next few days.”
MURIC cautioned that the ongoing labor strike would have a detrimental impact on the ability of Muslims to travel during the Salah period, as the disruption of transportation services would lead to a spike in fares.
Continuing with their condemnations, MURIC also charged the NLC with insufficient notice of the strike action, asserting that the 48-hour notice was inadequate and unreasonable. The Islamic group further alleged that the labor union was using the strike action as a means to destabilize the government, characterizing their conduct as a blatant attempt to undermine the government’s authority.
“The approach of the current crop of NLC leaders is aggressive, arrogant, fascist and partisan. The body language is unmistakable. It is directed at bringing the government down. This NLC has no respect for the rule of law, not even an iota of decorum for democratic practices.”

“If we cannot speak for government, what about Nigerian Muslims whose lives your strike could turn into sheer nightmare? Is this a deliberate attempt to make life uncomfortable for Muslims?
“Are Muslim workers not part of your union? If we are, shouldn’t NLC consider our interest, particularly our fast-approaching festival before embarking on a strike? What happened to strategic planning? What happened to timing and logistics? What happened to psychological preparation of people’s minds?“ the statement by MURIC further read.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has embarked on a nationwide strike to demand the urgent review of the country’s minimum wage. With a demand of N494,000 as the new minimum wage, the NLC has stood its ground against the government’s proposed amount of N60,000.