Obasanjo Links Nigeria’s Labour Reforms to Cold War-Era Funding

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Nigeria’s labour movement was heavily influenced by foreign funding during the Cold War, a situation he noted endangered the country’s sovereignty and independent decision-making.

Obasanjo made the remarks at the 85th birthday celebration and memoir presentation of former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Hassan Adebayo Sunmonu, held in Abuja. He was represented at the event by a former NLC President and ex-Governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole.

The former president recalled that during the ideological rivalry between the East and West, rival labour organisations in Nigeria aligned with opposing global powers. According to him, one faction received funding from the Soviet Union’s KGB, while another was supported by the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

He said the foreign influence weakened unity within the labour movement and posed a threat to Nigeria’s political independence. Obasanjo explained that the development led to deliberate labour reforms aimed at eliminating external control and internal divisions.

According to him, the reforms resulted in a unified labour structure fully controlled by Nigerians and eventually led to the formation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as a single national body.

Obasanjo urged Nigerians to move beyond lamenting economic hardship and instead organise collectively against unjust and harmful policies.

“If it is wrong, fight it. Justice is not won through tears or emotional speeches,” he said, adding that workers’ rights have historically been achieved through organised struggle rather than appeals for sympathy.

He recalled that Nigeria’s first national minimum wage was secured through sustained pressure from organised labour. He described the minimum wage as a safeguard for workers without bargaining power.

The former president also warned that inflation and currency devaluation have steadily eroded workers’ earnings, describing the trend as an “invisible robbery.” He added that low-income earners currently bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden and argued that people below a living income threshold should not be taxed.

Obasanjo called for stronger alliances between labour unions and civil society organisations to push for progressive reforms.

Speaking at the event, NLC President Joe Ajaero criticised newly introduced tax laws and Nigeria’s rising public debt, saying policies made without labour input deepen poverty and weaken democracy.

The book reviewer, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Dr Matthew Kukah, urged leaders to embrace service, integrity and moral responsibility, noting that leadership should be about service rather than personal gain.

Kukah said the memoir chronicles Sunmonu’s upbringing, family life, labour activism and international engagements, adding that it reflects on leadership, integrity and Nigeria’s unfulfilled national aspirations.

He described the book, Organise, Don’t Agonise, as accessible and reflective, portraying Sunmonu’s life as a lesson in discipline, sacrifice and commitment to workers’ welfare.