Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has faulted the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) industrial action, which is capable of truncating a smooth airlift of pilgrims for this year’s Hajj.
It questioned the timing of the strike, which may make life unbearable for Muslims preparing for Salah, which is just a few days away. In a statement, yesterday, the National Coordinator of MURIC, Prof Ishaq Akintola, insisted that the labour unions should rethink their actions in the interest of religious harmony.
MURIC’s statement came when the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) allayed growing concern about the possible obstruction of airlift of pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Akintola said, “What does NLC think will happen to Muslims whose festival of Id al-Kabiir is already knocking on the door? Transport fares to and from their various destinations will skyrocket. Movements will be so adversely affected that the whole Sallah period will become a horrendous experience. Is that what NLC wants?
“The notice of strike was too short. It was given from the negotiation table and it was 48 hours or less. 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”.
According to him, if we cannot speak for the government, what about Nigerian Muslims whose lives your strike could turn into a sheer nightmare? He added, “Is this a deliberate attempt to make life uncomfortable for Muslims? Will NLC declare strike one week to Christmas? 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 the psychological preparation of people’s minds?”
Assistant Director at NAHCON, Fatima Usara, disclosed that 37,102 pilgrims had been airlifted, while efforts to convey the remaining passengers had been set in motion. She added that the commission would round off outbound pilgrims before the deadline.
Although the commission said passengers from Kaduna, Gombe, Borno, Zamfara, Adamawa, Kebbi, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with 33 pilgrims on the ground were still awaiting an airlift, it maintained that passengers from South-South states would also be airlifted in one flight.
