Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that reforms introduced during his time as military head of state were designed to free Nigeria’s labour movement from foreign influence at the height of the Cold War.
Speaking at the 85th birthday celebration and book launch of former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Hassan Sunmonu, in Abuja, Obasanjo explained that rival labour organisations were then receiving funding from the Soviet Union’s KGB and the United States’ CIA, a situation he said undermined Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“One (labour faction) was being financed by the KGB—that is the truth—and the other one was being financed by the CIA—that was the truth—and then I came on the scene.
“I needed a Nigerian labour union organised by Nigeria, controlled by Nigeria, financed by Nigeria. So I decided there was going to be a labour union reform, and I think the man I put in charge was Justice Adebiyi. Hassan was one of those at the forefront asking, ‘What do I know about labour that I’m asking for reform? What is my business?’”
He added that the reforms, led by Justice Adebiyi, culminated in the creation of the NLC and the election of Sunmonu as its first president.
He said, “When Justice Adebiyi finished his job and we reformed the labour and trade union laws establishing the NLC, what happened? Without the government’s hand, they elected their leader, and Hassan became the first leader they elected. I don’t know how I felt at that time, but I felt comfortable.”
Obasanjo also recalled advising Sunmonu to criticise him publicly after private meetings to preserve his independence and maintain the confidence of workers. He said the introduction of a compulsory check-off system ensured stable union funding and eliminated reliance on foreign sources.
“Of course, I don’t know anything about labour, but I know that I wanted a Nigerian labour organisation organised by Nigeria, headed by Nigeria, and funded by Nigeria,” he remarked.
The event also saw Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former NLC president, pledge lifelong solidarity with organised labour. “I will be with labour till the end of my life,” he said, urging unions to organise rather than agonise.
Current NLC president, Joe Ajaero, used the occasion to criticise government policies, particularly new tax laws. He argued that taxing the national minimum wage imposed heavier burdens on workers and worsened poverty.
“Tax laws that tax the national minimum wage, impose heavier burdens on workers and the poor, and worsen excruciating poverty are not progressive but regressive,” Ajaero said.
He accused the government of excluding labour from the Presidential Committee on Tax, claiming workers were “meant to be on the menu”.
Ajaero also raised concerns about Nigeria’s rising debt profile and warned that bypassing labour in policy-making eroded trust and stability. “The philosophy of ‘Organise, Don’t Agonise’ also implies that the state has a duty to engage, not enrage. There is an urgent need for deeper, more sincere and structured engagement with the trade union movement at all levels,” he said.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, urged current labour leaders to emulate Sunmonu’s style of principled leadership, noting that 62 per cent of Nigerians are classified as multidimensionally poor.
The celebration of Sunmonu’s memoir, Memoirs of an African Trade Union Icon: Organise, Don’t Agonise, became a platform for reflection on the past and debate about the future of Nigeria’s workers, highlighting tensions between government policy and labour’s demand for inclusion.
