Why I reformed labour movement to stop CIA, KGB interference — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said labour reforms carried out during his tenure as military Head of State were designed to prevent Nigeria’s trade unions from coming under the influence of foreign intelligence agencies such as the CIA and the KGB.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, at the launch of the biography of late labour leader and pioneer Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, Obasanjo said trade unions at the time were poorly funded locally, leaving them vulnerable to external control and ideological manipulation.

He said his goal was to build a labour movement that was fully Nigerian in organisation, control and financing, stressing that some unions were receiving funds from foreign agencies, a situation he considered unacceptable for a sovereign nation.

Obasanjo noted that although Sunmonu initially opposed the reforms, he later emerged as a major beneficiary after being elected, without government interference, as the first president of the NLC, a development he said helped stabilise industrial relations.

He also revealed that his administration quietly worked with labour leaders to maintain industrial peace, while ensuring unions retained the confidence of their members and independence from government influence.

At the event, NLC President Joe Ajaero criticised the federal government’s new tax law, saying organised labour was excluded from consultations despite workers being key contributors to national tax revenue.

Ajaero described the law as unfair and unprogressive, particularly its impact on low-income earners and the national minimum wage, and called for a pause and review of the legislation.

Meanwhile, the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Chris Piwuna, condemned politicians defecting to the ruling party to retain power, saying the union would mobilise its members to resist such actions ahead of the 2027 elections.