…As NLC celebrates Imoudu’s 20th memorial

From Bimbola Oyesola and Chukwuma Umeorah

The Federal Government, weekend, said it was still committed to constructive engagement with organised labour, stressing dialogue over discord as the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) marked the 20th posthumous anniversary of foremost labour leader, Pa Michael Imoudu, in Lagos.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Maigari Mohammad Dingyadi, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the administration recognises workers as partners in national development and would continue to pursue policies that promote decent work, social protection and fair labour practices.

“Government recognises that workers are not just factors of production, but partners in progress. Constructive engagement with organised labour remains a cornerstone of our industrial relations framework,” Dingyadi said.

He added that the values associated with Imoudu’s life, “dialogue over discord, justice over oppression and unity over division” remain relevant amid ongoing economic reforms and global uncertainties.

Dingyadi said the President acknowledged the role of the NLC and the broader trade union movement in sustaining democracy and industrial harmony, urging labour to continue to engage peacefully within the country’s tripartite framework.

The anniversary also provided a platform for labour leaders and allies to sharply criticise prevailing economic conditions and governance issues, with NLC President Joe Ajaero insisting that Imoudu’s legacy demanded organised resistance, not ceremonial speeches.

Ajaero said Imoudu stood for a labour movement that was politically conscious and ready to confront policies that deepen hardship for workers. “Pa Imoudu taught us that trade unionism is inherently political. He rejected the poisonous idea that workers should only beg for crumbs at the negotiation table while leaving the bakery in the hands of their oppressors,” Ajaero said.

He criticised the removal of subsidies that cushion the poor while what he described as privileges of the political class remain intact, warning that labour would not retreat in the face of worsening living conditions.

“He would see a Nigeria where the subsidy on the life of the poor has been removed while the subsidy on the luxury of the political class remains untouched,” Ajaero said, adding that labour would continue to mobilise workers and influence political outcomes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The NLC president also said recent nationwide protests reflected Imoudu’s approach to struggle, noting that organised labour would intensify its push for a living wage, economic justice and accountability.

Legal practitioner and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, used the occasion to raise governance and rule-of-law concerns, urging the Federal Government to fully implement the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments.

Falana said, “What the Supreme Court ordered last year is that the statutory allocations of local government be paid directly to each of the local governments.” He called on the President to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to commence direct disbursement to the 774 local government accounts.

Director-General of the Michael Imodu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Isa Aremu, described Imoudu as a disciplined organiser whose influence spanned trade unionism, nationalism and socialist politics.

Aremu said Imoudu’s role in founding unions, participating in the 1945 general strike and engaging in political movements underscored the historic link between labour struggles and Nigeria’s independence.

He added that sustaining Imoudu’s legacy required renewed commitment to labour education, a living wage and the revival of the railway sector, where Imoudu began his working life.

Pa Michael Imoudu, widely regarded as Nigeria’s “Labour Number One,” was a central figure in the country’s labour and nationalist movements and remained active in labour politics until his death in 2005.