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.

Ugboaja’s death was announced by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, during the Congress’s National Executive Council meeting in Enugu on Thursday.

Ajaero reportedly conveyed the news to delegates by reading a letter from the late labour leader’s family. Details surrounding his death were not immediately made public.

A lawyer and veteran trade unionist, Ugboaja became the NLC General Secretary in August 2019 after the Congress’s National Executive Council ratified his appointment at a meeting in Kano. He succeeded Peter Ozo-Eson, who retired from the position.

As General Secretary, Ugboaja was responsible for the day-to-day administration of the labour centre and played a key role in coordinating the NLC’s affiliates, industrial relations, negotiations with government and employers, policy formulation and mobilisation of workers.

His tenure coincided with several major disputes between organised labour and government, including negotiations over the implementation of the N30,000 national minimum wage.

He remained actively involved in labour mobilisation and policy implementation throughout his tenure. In April 2026, he signed an NLC directive calling on workers in states that had not fully implemented the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act to participate in street rallies on May Day.

Born on May 15, 1966, Ugboaja studied law at the University of Calabar and graduated in 1987. He spent about four years in private legal practice before joining the trade union movement in 1993.

According to his profile with the NLC, he became the first Nigerian lawyer to work full-time for a trade union.

He began his trade union career with the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), where he eventually served as General Secretary between 2000 and 2005.

Ugboaja later moved into civil society, serving as Coordinator of Advocacy and Mobilisation at the Alliance for Credible Elections between 2006 and 2009 before joining the NLC Secretariat in 2009.

He also represented organised labour at major national reform exercises, including the Political/Constitutional Reform Conference convened under former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 and the Constitution Review Conference under former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014.

Before his appointment as NLC General Secretary, Ugboaja served as Principal Assistant General Secretary and Head of Industrial Relations and Organising at the labour centre.

His death comes as the NLC’s NEC meeting is underway in Enugu, with the labour movement expected to mourn one of its long-serving administrators and negotiators.