The Nigeria Labour Congress is in mourning following the death of its General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja. He was 60.
Ugboaja passed away on Wednesday after battling a prolonged illness. Details remain limited at the time of this report.
NLC President Joe Ajaero announced the news to members of the Congress National Executive Council who are currently meeting in Enugu. Ajaero read a letter from Ugboaja’s family to the NEC.
A lawyer and career trade unionist, Ugboaja was appointed the 5th General Secretary of the NLC in August 2019. He succeeded Peter Ozo-Eson after a competitive selection process that was ratified in Kano.
Born on May 15, 1966, Ugboaja earned his law degree from the University of Calabar in 1987. He practiced privately for about four years before joining the labour movement in 1993. The NLC credits him as the first Nigerian lawyer to work full-time for a trade union.
His first major union role was with the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees. He served as its General Secretary from 2000 to 2005.
Beyond traditional union work, Ugboaja was active in civil society. From 2006 to 2009 he coordinated Advocacy and Mobilisation at the Alliance for Credible Elections. He joined the NLC secretariat in 2009 and later became Principal Assistant General Secretary in charge of Industrial Relations and Organising.
He also represented labour in national policy discussions, serving as a delegate to the 2005 Political and Constitutional Reform Conference under President Olusegun Obasanjo and the 2014 National Conference under President Goodluck Jonathan.
As General Secretary, Ugboaja was the NLC’s chief administrator. He coordinated affiliates, handled negotiations with government and employers, and drove policy and mobilisation.
One of his earliest tests was the 2019 negotiation for the N30,000 national minimum wage, which ended with an agreement after threats of industrial action. As recently as April 2026, he signed an NLC directive urging workers in states yet to implement the 2024 Minimum Wage Act to hold May Day rallies.
Colleagues described him as a bridge between legal expertise, union organizing, and civil-society advocacy. His path from private practice to affiliate leadership, then to the top office of the NLC, made him one of the most experienced voices in Nigerian organized labour in recent years.
Tributes are expected from government, labour affiliates, and civil society groups in the coming days.
