The General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Emmanuel Ugboaja, has died after a prolonged illness.
Ugboaja, who became the fifth General Secretary of the NLC in 2019, reportedly died on Wednesday, although details surrounding his death remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Sources who spoke with Vanguard said the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, informed members of the Congress’ National Executive Council about the development during its ongoing meeting in Enugu State.
According to the sources, Ajaero read a letter from the deceased’s family to the NEC members announcing his death.
Ugboaja was a lawyer and experienced trade unionist whose career in organised labour spanned more than three decades.
Born on May 15, 1966, he studied law at the University of Calabar and graduated in 1987. He initially practised law privately for about four years before joining the trade union movement in 1993.
The NLC’s historical biography describes him as the first Nigerian lawyer to work full-time for a trade union.
His early trade union career was with the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, where he eventually became General Secretary between 2000 and 2005.
He later moved into civil society advocacy, serving as Coordinator of Advocacy and Mobilisation at the Alliance for Credible Elections from 2006 to 2009 before joining the NLC Secretariat in 2009.
Ugboaja also participated in major national reform initiatives.
He was a delegate to the Political and Constitutional Reform Conference convened by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005. Nine years later, he participated in the Constitution Review Conference organised under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Before his elevation to General Secretary, Ugboaja served as Principal Assistant General Secretary of the NLC and headed its Industrial Relations and Organising department.
He was selected to succeed Peter Ozo-Eson, who retired in 2019.
The NLC National Executive Council ratified his appointment at its meeting in Kano on August 21, 2019, making him the fifth General Secretary of the labour centre since its establishment in 1978.
As General Secretary, Ugboaja played a key role in the administrative and industrial relations activities of the NLC, working with the Congress’ affiliates and participating in negotiations involving government and employers.
One of his early major assignments in the position was negotiating the implementation of the ₦30,000 national minimum wage in 2019.
The negotiations became tense at various stages, with organised labour threatening industrial action before an agreement was eventually reached.
Ugboaja remained active in subsequent labour negotiations and mobilisation.
In April 2026, he signed an NLC directive asking workers in states that had yet to fully implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act to participate in May Day street rallies.
The directive underscored his continuing involvement in the Congress’ nationwide industrial and mobilisation activities.
Ugboaja’s career spanned legal practice, trade unionism, civil society advocacy, and national policy discussions.
