TheCable

Chris Kwakpovwe, a bishop and author of Our Daily Manna devotional, has appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) not to mix politics with strike actions.

The NLC and TUC had announced a nationwide strike from midnight on November 14 over the alleged brutalisation of Joe Ajaero, the NLC president, on November 1 in Imo state.

Kwakpovwe said embarking on a strike at this time would destabilise the government.

He said this in a statement issued on Tuesday in reaction to the strike.

“I want to appeal to NLC not to mix politics with genuine goal-oriented strike actions which are allowed by the constitution,” Kwakpovwe said.

“You cannot try to destabilise government just because somebody was beaten. The person can fight for his fundamental human right in the courts, if truly a criminal act has been committed by the government involved.

“But the day NLC starts mixing politics with strikes, then they’ve lost their credibility. At the moment, I’m sorry to say even the masses don’t trust the NLC anymore.

“ASUU for instance should know exactly why they’re joining NLC in this strike. But like I said earlier, the moment you turn strike actions into weapons of politics, then the message is lost.”

He urged the leadership of NLC to focus on actions that alleviate the sufferings of ordinary Nigerians.

“Right now, people are suffering. If you want to send a message to the government, that’s totally allowed,” he added.

“Strikes are a form of legitimate weapons to express demands, but it should never be mixed up with politics.

“NLC should never mix or confuse strikes with politics lest they lose their final credibility.”