President Bola Tinubu has paid tribute to veteran labour leader Emmanuel Ugboaja, describing the late Nigeria Labour Congress General Secretary as a strong voice for workers and a committed advocate for justice.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has mourned the death of Emmanuel Okechukwu Ugboaja, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), describing him as a powerful voice for Nigerian workers and a committed advocate for justice, welfare and dignity.
Tinubu expressed his condolences to the Nigeria Labour Congress, its affiliate unions, the legal profession and the family of the late labour leader, whose death has drawn tributes from across Nigeria’s organised labour movement.
In a statement issued by the State House, the President said Ugboaja devoted his professional life to advancing the rights and welfare of workers.
“Comrade Ugboaja, who died on Thursday, devoted his professional life to advancing the rights, welfare and dignity of workers,” Tinubu said, describing the late NLC General Secretary as a veteran trade unionist and legal practitioner who brought legal knowledge, strategic insight and administrative competence to the labour movement.
Ugboaja, who was 60, served as General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress from August 2019 until his death. He was a lawyer by training and spent decades in Nigeria’s organised labour movement, becoming one of its most experienced administrators and negotiators.
President Tinubu said the late labour leader carried enormous responsibilities as General Secretary, coordinating the affairs of the Congress and providing strategic direction for its operations and affiliate unions during critical moments.
According to the President, Ugboaja played an important role in helping workers and their representatives pursue common objectives while contributing significantly to constructive engagements between organised labour, government authorities and employers.
The President particularly acknowledged Ugboaja’s role in negotiations involving government and employers, noting that his legal background, experience and understanding of industrial relations proved invaluable to the labour movement.
Ugboaja’s career in organised labour spanned more than three decades. He studied law at the University of Calabar and later left private legal practice to work full-time in the trade union movement, where he built a reputation as an administrator, strategist and advocate for workers’ rights.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has also described his death as a major loss to the movement, with the organisation remembering him as an accomplished lawyer, strategist and negotiator who remained committed to workers’ welfare throughout his career.
President Tinubu prayed that God would comfort Ugboaja’s family, the labour community and all those mourning his death.
He urged them to take solace in what he described as the late labour leader’s life of meaningful service.
“May his soul rest in perfect peace,” the President said.
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