BREAKING: NLC General Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja Dies at 60

The General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Emmanuel Ugboaja, has died at the age of 60 after a prolonged illness.

According to a report by Vanguard, NLC President Joe Ajaero informed members of the Congress’ National Executive Council during a meeting in Enugu after receiving a letter from Ugboaja’s family announcing his death.

Ugboaja, who became the fifth General Secretary of the NLC in 2019, was a veteran trade unionist and lawyer whose career in organised labour spanned more than three decades.

Born on May 15, 1966, he obtained a law degree from the University of Calabar in 1987 and initially practised as a lawyer before joining the trade union movement in 1993.

NLC historical records described Ugboaja as the first Nigerian lawyer to work full-time for a trade union.

He began his major union career with the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, where he later served as General Secretary from 2000 to 2005.

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His career also included significant involvement in civil society and national reform initiatives.

Between 2006 and 2009, Ugboaja served as Coordinator of Advocacy and Mobilisation at the Alliance for Credible Elections before joining the NLC Secretariat in 2009.

He was also a delegate to the Political and Constitutional Reform Conference convened under former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 and participated in the 2014 National Conference under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Before his emergence as NLC General Secretary, Ugboaja served as Principal Assistant General Secretary and headed the Industrial Relations and Organising department of the labour centre.

Details surrounding his death remained limited as of the time of filing this report.