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…Honours Summonu at 85
From Bimbola Oyesola
As the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) paid glowing tribute to labour icon Hassan A. Summonu, at 85, describing him as a towering symbol of courage, integrity and principled struggle for the Nigerian working class, it has has challenged the Federal Government’s disposition to taxes and wages as they affected Nigerian workers.
President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, speaking in Abuja at the book launch and 85th birthday celebration of Summonu, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Auditorium, where labour leaders, policymakers, family members and civil society actors gathered to honour the founding president of the NLC, said the occasion marked “two monumental events” — the unveiling of Summonu’s memoir and the celebration of a life devoted to organising workers for justice and dignity.
“At 85, we are not just celebrating age; we are celebrating impact,” Ajaero said. “Today, we honour a titan of the working-class struggle, a man whose life is captured in the defiant title of his book, Organise, Don’t Agonise.”
According to him, the book’s title represents more than words, describing it as “the militant creed that has defined Comrade Summonu’s journey and the very soul of the labour movement.”
“From the shop floors and factories to the corridors of pan-African power, he taught us that the power of the people, when organised, is the ultimate answer to agony imposed by exploitation and poor governance,” Ajaero said.
He recalled that at the inauguration of the Hassan Summonu Centre for Leadership and Governance in Lagos last year, labour leaders reaffirmed that honouring Summonu was inseparable from honouring the collective struggle of Nigerian workers.
“His legacy is not frozen in history books,” Ajaero noted. “It is alive in our ongoing fight for dignity, justice and economic democracy.”
The NLC president said the celebration also served as a moment of national reflection, urging Nigerians to assess how far the country has gone in realising the ideals Summonu fought for.
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Quoting Summonu’s recent public concern, Ajaero asked pointedly: “Where are all the monies being borrowed by the federal government?” — a question he said resonated deeply amid rising hardship.
He argued that the philosophy of “Organise, Don’t Agonise” places a duty on government to engage sincerely with labour, warning that policies crafted without workers’ input were “designed on shaky foundations.”
“From fuel pricing to taxation, from wages to social services, policies must be made with the respected input of those who represent the workers,” Ajaero said, adding that sidelining labour was already “generating crisis and agony.”
He cited the new Tax Laws as a “poignant example” of policy failure, alleging that Nigerian workers were deliberately excluded from key consultations despite being the country’s major taxpayers.
“Tax laws that tax the national minimum wage are not fair. Tax laws that deepen poverty are regressive,” he said. “That was why our warnings went unheeded, and today the outcome is clear.”
Ajaero called on the Federal Government to immediately constitute the PENCOM Board and address public concerns over the Tax Laws, warning that continued confusion would undermine tax administration and democracy.
Advising the government on its legacy, he said: “True democracy is not just about elections; it is about the rule of law, institutional integrity and governance that serves the many, not the few.”
He concluded by urging authorities to urgently address workers’ wages ahead of the next statutory minimum wage negotiations, while pledging that labour would keep Summonu’s message alive.
“As we launch this book, we pledge to continue to organise, to challenge power, and to fight for a Nigeria where no worker has to agonise over poverty, insecurity, heavy taxation or a stolen future,” Ajaero said, drawing applause from the audience.
