NLC General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja Dies At 60

By Ayodele Oni

Nigeria’s labour movement is mourning following the passage of the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja.

Ugboaja, aged 60, died last Saturday, after a prolonged battle with leukaemia, according to sources close to the labour leader.

One of the sources said news of his death has only just been communicated.

“He died on Saturday, but we don’t know why they are only informing us now. However, reliable information confirmed that he died on Saturday. He battled with leukemia for close to four years,” a source confirmed.

Ugboaja, who became the fifth General Secretary of the NLC in August 2019, was a veteran trade unionist and lawyer whose career in organised labour spanned more than three decades.

He was widely regarded as a prominent figure in Nigeria’s labour movement and was described as one of the finest administrators in organised labour.

Ugboaja was born on May 15, 1966, and obtained an LL.B degree from the University of Calabar in 1987.

After spending four years in private legal practice, he dedicated his career to trade unionism and labour activism.

He later became the first Nigerian lawyer to work full-time for a trade union.

Before his emergence as NLC General Secretary, Ugboaja served as General Secretary of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), an affiliate of the NLC, from 2000 to 2005.

He was appointed the fifth General Secretary of the NLC in August 2019, succeeding Peter Ozo-Eson.

As General Secretary,  Ugboaja was involved in the administration of NLC affiliate unions and played a key role in national labour negotiations, including engagements over the national minimum wage.

Beyond the labour movement, he served as Coordinator for Advocacy and Mobilisation at the Alliance for Credible Elections between 2006 and 2009.

He also participated as a labour delegate at the 2005 Political Reforms Conference and the 2014 National Conference.

Ugboaja was a member of the National Institute (mni), having graduated from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.

His death comes as a loss to Nigeria’s organised labour movement, where he had spent decades advocating workers’ interests and participating in national policy and labour discussions.