Groups Mourn NLC Secretary General Ugboaja As Nurses’ Forum Demands Healthcare Reform | Sahara Reporters

Ugboaja, a veteran trade unionist and lawyer, died at the age of 60 after battling leukaemia for nearly four years, according to sources close to the labour leader.

The Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence (CAIDOV) and the Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) have mourned the death of the Secretary General of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Emmanuel Okechukwu Ugboaja, describing his death as a major loss to the Nigerian labour movement.

Ugboaja, a veteran trade unionist and lawyer, died at the age of 60 after battling leukaemia for nearly four years, according to sources close to the labour leader.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, officially announced his death on Thursday during a meeting of the Congress’ National Executive Council in Enugu, Enugu State.

Ajaero said the announcement followed a letter from Ugboaja’s family formally informing the NLC of his death.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Ugboaja died on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after his prolonged illness.

Ugboaja became the fifth General Secretary of the NLC in August 2019, succeeding Peter Ozo-Eson. His career in organised labour spanned more than three decades, including involvement in national labour negotiations and the administration of NLC affiliate unions.

In a statement, CAIDOV Executive Director, Gbenga Soloki, described Ugboaja as a committed trade unionist who dedicated his life to the welfare and dignity of Nigerian workers.

“We received the news of the passing of Comrade Ugboaja with sadness. He was a committed trade unionist who dedicated his life to the welfare and dignity of Nigerian workers. His commitment to fairness, dialogue, and justice will be remembered,” Soloki said.

He said Ugboaja’s advocacy for workers’ rights aligned with CAIDOV’s work on justice and protection of vulnerable people.

“At CAIDOV, we understand that the struggle for justice in the workplace and the struggle for justice in the home are connected. The late Secretary General stood for the protection of vulnerable persons and the rights of workers. That legacy must be sustained,” he added.

The ENF, in a separate statement signed by its National Coordinator, Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide, also described Ugboaja as a committed labour leader who dedicated decades to the Nigerian working class and the struggle for better working conditions.

The group, however, said his death should go beyond mourning and trigger reflection on Nigeria’s healthcare system.

It said the sector had suffered years of underfunding, poor infrastructure, inadequate manpower, high medical costs and weak social protection.

“The failure of government to provide effective and comprehensive health insurance and adequate healthcare protection for civil servants, including Health Workers, is deeply troubling,” the group said.

It argued that healthcare workers who dedicate their lives to caring for others should not struggle to access quality healthcare when they or their families fall ill.

The ENF also linked preventable deaths to poverty, unaffordable medical treatment, poor living conditions, insecurity, unemployment, inadequate social protection and the rising cost of living.

“The death of Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja should therefore not only be a moment of mourning. It should also be a moment of sober reflection on the kind of society we are building,” it said.

The group called on the NLC, Trade Union Congress, affiliate unions, civil society organisations and Nigerian workers to strengthen their unity and demand better wages, affordable healthcare, social security, quality public education, affordable housing and improved living standards.

It also urged workers to use their political power to demand accountability and support a system that prioritises human life and dignity.

“We must not allow the memory of our fallen comrades to become mere speeches and condolences,” the group said.