Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has mourned the death of Emmanuel Ugboaja, General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), where described the late trade unionist’s decades of service as a significant contribution to the Nigerian labour movement.
Oshiomhole, a former president of the NLC, conveyed his condolences to the Congress leadership, affiliated unions, workers, and Ugboaja’s family in a message issued subsequent to the labour leader’s death after a prolonged illness.
He characterised Ugboaja as a committed labour activist whose career combined legal training, industrial-relations expertise, and trade union administration.
The senator noted that Ugboaja did not only occupy leadership positions within the labour movement but also advanced through the union structure after serving full-time as a trade unionist.
Oshiomhole said the late labour leader eventually became General Secretary of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), a position through which he gained extensive experience in organised labour.
He also pointed to Ugboaja’s involvement in two major national reform exercises as evidence of his engagement with issues extending beyond workplace representation.
According to Oshiomhole, Ugboaja participated in the 2005 Political and Constitutional Reform Conference convened during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He was also involved in the 2014 Constitution Review Conference convened under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Oshiomhole said those engagements reflected Ugboaja’s interest in national affairs and constitutional questions in addition to his responsibilities within the trade union movement.
The former NLC president described the death as a loss that would be felt across organised labour, particularly given Ugboaja’s long involvement in the advancement of workers’ interests.
“Comrade Ugboaja’s passing leaves a significant void in the labour movement,” Oshiomhole said.
He extended his sympathy to the NLC leadership, its affiliates, and Ugboaja’s relatives, while acknowledging the loss of a figure who had spent decades within the labour movement.
Oshiomhole prayed that God would grant the deceased eternal rest and provide his family, colleagues, and members of the Nigerian labour movement with the strength to cope with his death.
Ugboaja’s death therefore closes a career that, as presented by Oshiomhole, straddled trade union organisation, industrial relations, legal practice, and participation in national constitutional reform processes.
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