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Muslim body says NLC/TUC strike is a religious war to insult Islam, frustrate Sallah festivals
Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has protested against the strike declared by organised Labour over demand for wage increase in the country. The body said the strike which is commencing this Monday morning was deliberately targeted against Muslims and to frustrate them from enjoying this year’s Eid-el-Kabir festivals begining in a few days.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government and the organised Labour led by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC, have been negotiating the minimum wage wage government offering N60,000 which is a hundred percent increase from the existing figure while Labour is insisting on N460,000 monthly.
As part of efforts to reach amicable settlement, the national assembly leadership met on Sunday might with NLC and TUC presidents and other executive members in Abuja. However, the Labour bodies insisted the proposed strike must go ahead while they go back to consult affiliates organs before final decision would be reached.
But reacting to the strike, MURIC Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said Labour was impatient, insensitive and biased by not considering the implications the strike would have on Muslims who are waiting to commence Sallah festivities on June 16, a few days ago.
The Executive Director of MURIC said the NLC President in particular, was doing the bidding of the Labour Party which he said had anti- Muslim agenda and demanded the postponement of the strike, as according to him it amounted to insult on Islam.
Read his statement in full:
“The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is set to begin its industrial action today Monday, 3rd June, 2024. But 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.
“As expected, the workers unions of other service providing sectors like petroleum and electricity have offered to join (https://www.thecable.ng/oil-electricity-workers-to-join-planned-labour-strike/). This means the lives of Nigerians are likely to be thrown into a state of higgledy-piggledy in the next few days.
“But what does NLC think will happen to Muslims whose festival of Id al-kabiir is already knocking on the door? Transport fare 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?
“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 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? Will NLC declare strike one week to Christmas? Or is this about bringing down our Muslim-Muslim ticket? Is this part of the ‘religious war’ of ‘Yes Daddy’?
“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?
“By the way, every civilized group checks the calendar when planning an event and every calendar shows festivals of the year, is there no calendar on the walls of NLC office or was it deliberately ignored because NLC leadership is more interested in inflicting pains on Nigerian Muslims?
“Who did NLC leadership consult before declaring strike and what did they advice? Are there no Muslims among members of NLC executive? Are there no Muslims among NLC’s advisers or are they all ‘Yes Daddy’? If there are, are they conscious Muslims or just Muslims by name? Are they not aware that Salah is next week?
“This strike is ill-timed. It is a recipe for a topsy-turvy Salah. We advise NLC to postpone it till 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.
“We call on all Muslim leaders and Islamic organisations in Nigeria to speak up now before it is too late. We must reject the tyranny of Muslim-haters thinly veiled in unionism. We say ‘No To Strike in Salah.”
Health professionals have warned that regular consumption of shawarma containing high amounts of salt, sugar, fat, seasoning and processed meat may contribute to hypertension, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease.
Excessive salt can raise blood pressure and put additional strain on the kidneys, while high-calorie sauces may contribute to weight gain.
Nutrition experts advised Nigerians to eat shawarma in moderation, use less mayonnaise and other sauces, choose lean grilled meat and add more vegetables. Consumers were also urged to check vendors’ cleanliness and avoid food prepared where ingredients are exposed to flies, dust or poor handling.
A recent report by experts also warned that frequent consumption of Shawarma may increase the risk of other food-borne infections and long-term health problems.
The report contains documented cases of people who suffered vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and weakness after eating shawarma, with some requiring hospital treatment.
According to the report, poor hygiene could allow bacteria and other contaminants into shawarma, causing illnesses including cholera, dysentery, typhoid and salmonellosis.
It also raised concerns about mayonnaise and creamy sauces kept without proper refrigeration and warned that poor storage could encourage bacterial growth and increase the risk of food poisoning.
A study cited in the report found bacterial contamination in ready-to-eat shawarma sold on the streets
Experts also raised concerns about processed meat such as sausage, noting that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies processed meat as carcinogenic to humans.
The mystery surrounding the death of a man whose body was found by the roadside in Abuja has taken a new turn, with police tracing the case through his missing mobile phone to a married woman who allegedly spent time with him at a hotel.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Sanusi, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja, saying investigators arrested Rukayat Muhammed after tracing the deceased’s final communications.
The man was found dead on August 26 along the Kubwa Expressway, near Katampe under the bridge, after his family had earlier reported him missing.
According to the police, the case initially raised suspicion of a possible “one chance” incident. Investigators, however, established that the dead man was the missing person after identifying his remains.
Sanusi said the deceased’s mobile phone was missing and had been switched off. Police investigators subsequently traced his last known communication, leading them to Rukayat, a resident of Garki Area 2.
Investigators reportedly discovered that Rukayat, who is married, was allegedly in a romantic relationship with the deceased. The police said she had saved his contact under the name “Safiyat.”
The CP said the pair had lodged at Good Samaritan Guest House on 2nd Avenue, Gwarinpa, where the man later died.
Sanusi said Rukayat allegedly discovered that the man was no longer breathing but failed to alert the police or hotel management. Instead, she allegedly took his phone and left the hotel.
The case took another turn when hotel management later discovered the man’s body inside the room after attempts to contact the occupants failed.
Rather than reporting the discovery, two hotel staff members, Ibrahim Omeiza and Kefat Bitrus, allegedly removed the body from the room and transported it to the Kubwa Expressway, where they dumped it under the Katampe bridge.
The police said the action was apparently intended to distance the hotel and its management from the death.
Sanusi said detectives were still working to establish exactly how the man died and determine the individual roles of those connected to the incident.
He warned that anyone found to have participated in the death, concealment or abandonment of the body would face prosecution.
The commissioner said the investigation remains ongoing.
The Enugu State Government has suspended His Royal Majesty, Igwe Eze William Ezugwu, the traditional ruler of Ibagwa Ogbozalla Opi Autonomous Community, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state.
The state government accused Igwe Ezugwu of violating provisions of the state’s Traditional Rulers Law.
In a letter of suspension dated September 24, the Enugu State Government cited his alleged failure to constitute his cabinet, failure to establish a Town Union governing body, and persistent conduct deemed inconsistent with the laws governing traditional rulers in the state.
The suspension comes barely three weeks after Igwe William Ezugwu received NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi at his palace in Opi, Nsukka LGA, where he reportedly blessed Obi’s presidential ambition.
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