The General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, has died at the age of 60 after a protracted illness.
His death was announced by the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, on Thursday during the Congress’ National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Enugu.
Ajaero reportedly conveyed the news to delegates by reading a letter from the late labour leader’s family.
Ugboaja, a lawyer and veteran trade unionist, had served as the NLC General Secretary since August 2019, following the retirement of Dr Peter Ozo-Eson.
His appointment was ratified by the NLC National Executive Council at its meeting in Kano on August 21, 2019. He became the fifth person to occupy the position since the establishment of the Congress in 1978.
As General Secretary, Ugboaja was responsible for the day-to-day administration of the labour centre and was a central figure in coordinating the Congress’ affiliates, industrial relations, negotiations with government and employers, policy formulation and mobilisation of workers.
His tenure coincided with some of the most consequential labour-government negotiations and disputes in recent years, including the implementation of the N30,000 national minimum wage, the removal of petrol subsidy, negotiations for a new national minimum wage and various industrial disputes involving workers and state governments.
In 2019, shortly after assuming office, Ugboaja was deeply involved in negotiations over the consequential adjustment arising from the N30,000 minimum wage.
The Federal Government and organised labour held several meetings to resolve disagreements over the implementation of the new wage structure.
He also played a prominent role in the labour movement’s negotiations with successive administrations over workers’ welfare and economic policies.
In 2023, Ugboaja was part of the NLC leadership that negotiated with the Federal Government following the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.
The NLC General Secretary was among the labour leaders who signed agreements with the Federal Government, including a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding that provided for a N35,000 wage award for federal workers pending the implementation of a new national minimum wage.
He was also a member of the 37-member Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage inaugurated by the Federal Government in January 2024.
The committee included representatives of organised labour, employers and government and was tasked with recommending a new national minimum wage. Ugboaja represented the NLC alongside Ajaero and other labour leaders.
The committee’s work eventually culminated in the passage of the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act, which raised the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.
Even in the months preceding his death, Ugboaja remained active in the Congress’ campaign for full implementation of the new wage.
In April 2026, he signed a notice directing NLC state councils to suspend official May Day celebrations with state governments that had failed to fully implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act.
The Congress accused defaulting states of failing to implement provisions including consequential salary adjustments, regular payment of the new wage and extension of the wage structure to categories of workers covered by the law.
Born on May 15, 1966, Ugboaja obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Calabar in 1987. After spending about four years in private legal practice, he joined the trade union movement in 1993.
He joined the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), an affiliate of the NLC, where he rose through the ranks and served as General Secretary from 2000 to 2005.
The NLC’s historical account of his career described him as the first Nigerian lawyer to work full-time for a trade union.
His career was not, however, limited to organised labour. Between 2006 and 2009, he served as Coordinator, Advocacy and Mobilisation of the Alliance for Credible Elections, a civil society organisation focused on electoral matters.
He also participated in major national constitutional and political reform processes.
He was a delegate to the 2005 Political/Constitutional Reform Conference convened by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and later participated in the 2014 Constitution Review Conference under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Ugboaja subsequently joined the NLC secretariat before rising to become its General Secretary in 2019.
Throughout his tenure, he was a regular face at negotiations between organised labour and government, particularly on wages, workers’ rights, social protection, industrial relations and economic policies affecting Nigerian workers.
He was also actively involved in the Congress’ engagements with international labour organisations. In 2024, for instance, he represented the NLC in a programme organised in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on strengthening trade unions’ role in labour migration and protecting migrant workers.
Ugboaja’s death comes at a time when organised labour remains deeply engaged with government over the implementation of the national minimum wage, workers’ welfare, rising living costs and broader economic policies.
His death represents a significant loss to the Nigerian labour movement, where he combined legal training with decades of trade union experience and served as one of the principal administrators and negotiators of the NLC for more than seven years.
