Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that Nigeria’s organised labour movement was, at a critical stage in its history, funded by foreign intelligence agencies.
He said the development exposed the country’s labour system to external control and raised grave concerns about national sovereignty.
Obasanjo made the revelation at the 85th birthday celebration and public presentation of the memoir of former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Hassan Sunmonu, titled “Memoirs of an African Trade Union Icon: Organise, Don’t Agonise.”
The event, attended by labour leaders, policymakers and civil society actors, evolved into a broader reflection on the past, present and future of trade unionism in Nigeria.
Cold War Influence on Labour
Obasanjo said Nigeria’s labour space during the Cold War era was dominated by two powerful organisations which, though Nigerian in name, were allegedly financed and influenced by opposing global power blocs.
“One was being financed by KGB, that is the truth, and the other one was being financed by CIA, that was the truth, and then I came on the scene,” Obasanjo said.
He explained that this reality shaped his resolve, as military Head of State, to reform the labour movement and insulate it from foreign interference.
“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,” he said, recalling that the reform process was spearheaded by Justice Adebiyi.
Obasanjo noted that Sunmonu was among those who initially questioned his involvement in labour matters. “Hassan was one of those who was forefront to ask, what do I know about labour that I’m asking for reform? What is my business?” he added.
Birth of the NLC
The reform process eventually led to the restructuring of trade unions and the enactment of laws that gave birth to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as a unified national platform.
Obasanjo stressed that the emergence of the NLC leadership was achieved without direct government interference, restoring credibility to organised labour and fostering relative industrial stability.
“When Justice Adebiyi finished his job and we reformed the labour and party law establishing NLC, what happened? Without 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,” he said.
He added that the introduction of a compulsory check-off system ensured sustainable union funding and permanently eliminated foreign financial influence from Nigeria’s labour movement.
Obasanjo praised Sunmonu for elevating Nigerian labour on the continental and global stage, describing him as the most influential figure in the country’s labour movement after the late Pa Michael Imoudu.
Ajaero’s Critique of Current Policies
The occasion also provided a platform for current NLC President Joe Ajaero to deliver a blistering critique of contemporary economic policies, new tax laws and Nigeria’s rising public debt.
Ajaero warned that the systematic exclusion of labour from critical policy processes was deepening poverty and undermining democratic governance.
“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,” he said.
He insisted that labour was deliberately excluded from the Presidential Committee on Tax because workers were “meant to be on the menu.”
Raising broader concerns about governance and accountability, Ajaero echoed Sunmonu’s recent interrogation of Nigeria’s growing debt profile. “Where are all the monies being borrowed by the federal government?” he asked.
Call for Inclusive Governance
Ajaero warned that bypassing key stakeholders, distorting Acts of Parliament and ruling “by strong arm” eroded public trust and threatened national 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.
He demanded the immediate constitution of the PENCOM board and called for clarity and restraint in the implementation of new tax laws.
While celebrating Sunmonu as a symbol of courage and principled engagement, Ajaero said the event had become a moment of national reckoning on the condition of Nigerian workers.
“We will continue to organise. We will continue to challenge power. We will continue to fight for a Nigeria where no worker has to agonise over poverty, insecurity, heavy taxation or a stolen future riddled with national debt,” he pledged.
Efforts to obtain official government reactions to the concerns raised were unsuccessful as of press time.
Suggested SEO Headlines
- Ex-President Reveals Foreign Control of Labour Unions
- Obasanjo Explains Birth of Nigeria Labour Congress
- Ajaero Slams Tax Laws, Rising Debt at Sunmonu Event
- Labour Leaders Demand Inclusive Governance, PENCOM Board
Will Obasanjo’s revelation about foreign funding reshape how Nigerians view the history of organised labour, or will today’s economic struggles overshadow the lessons of the past?
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