Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that during his time as military head of state, he reformed Nigeria's labour movement to eliminate foreign influences from the CIA and KGB amid the Cold War. Speaking at the 85th birthday celebration and book launch of former NLC president Hassan Sunmonu in Abuja, he detailed the creation of the Nigeria Labour Congress. The event also highlighted ongoing tensions between current labour leaders and government policies.
At the 85th birthday celebration and book launch of Hassan Sunmonu, former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in Abuja on January 7, 2026, Olusegun Obasanjo shared insights into his efforts to reform Nigeria's labour unions during his tenure as military head of state. Obasanjo explained that rival labour factions were receiving funding from the Soviet Union's KGB and the United States' CIA, which he viewed as a threat to Nigeria's sovereignty during the Cold War era.
"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," Obasanjo stated. He emphasized his goal of establishing a labour union "organised by Nigeria, controlled by Nigeria, financed by Nigeria." To achieve this, he appointed Justice Adebiyi to lead the reforms, which resulted in the Trade Unions Act and the formation of the NLC. Sunmonu was subsequently elected as the first NLC president without government interference.
Obasanjo recounted advising Sunmonu to publicly criticize him after private meetings to maintain independence and worker confidence. He also introduced a compulsory check-off system to ensure stable, domestic funding for unions, reducing reliance on foreign sources.
The event featured reflections from other figures. Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former NLC president, pledged lifelong solidarity with organised labour, stating, "I will be with labour till the end of my life," and urged unions to organise rather than agonise.
Current NLC president Joe Ajaero criticised recent government policies, particularly new tax laws that he said burden workers by taxing the national minimum wage and exacerbate 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 remarked. He accused the government of excluding labour from the Presidential Committee on Tax and called for deeper engagement to build trust.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana urged current leaders to emulate Sunmonu's principled approach, noting that 62 per cent of Nigerians are multidimensionally poor. The gathering, centred on Sunmonu's memoir Memoirs of an African Trade Union Icon: Organise, Don’t Agonise, served as a platform for discussing labour's past achievements and future challenges in Nigeria.
