Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has made a mind-boggling revelation, declaring that when he assumed office in 1999, Nigeria’s labour movement was allegedly under the financial influence of foreign intelligence agencies, including the CIA and the Soviet-era KGB.
Speaking at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, during the 85th birthday celebration and book presentation in honour of former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Hassan Summonu, Obasanjo said the situation posed a serious threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and independence.
According to him, the country’s two dominant labour centres at the time were products of Cold War politics, with one allegedly funded by the KGB and the other by the CIA, a development he described as unacceptable for a sovereign nation.
“I have a few stories to tell about him, which I believe I should tell, because I may not have any other occasion to tell it. Hassan, do you remember, when Goodluck was leading one of the two major labour unions?
“These two labour organisations are Nigerian labour organisations, but they were not being financed or funded by Nigeria. I don’t know if you know that, but that was the reality.
“One was being financed by KGB. That is the truth. And the other one was being financed by CIA. I think Hassan belonged to the one being financed by KGB.
“And then I came on the scene. I needed for Nigeria, a Nigerian labour union, organised by Nigeria, controlled by Nigeria, financed by Nigeria. So I decided there was going to be a labour union reform. And I think the man I put in charge is Justice Adebiyi,” he said.
Obasanjo explained that Justice Adebiyi was appointed to drive the reforms that eventually birthed a unified Nigeria Labour Congress, free from foreign control.
He said the labour movement later elected its leaders without government interference, resulting in Summonu emerging as the first elected NLC president.
“And Hassan was one of those who was in the forefront to ask, what do I know about labour that I’m asking for reform? What is my business? And of course, I don’t know anything about labour, but I know that I wanted a Nigerian labour organisation organised by Nigeria, headed by Nigeria, and funded by Nigeria.
“And Justice Adebiyi finished his job and we reformed the labour without government’s hand, they elected their leader. And Hassan became the first leader they elected. I don’t know how Hassan felt at that time, but I felt comfortable,” Obasanjo said.
The former president noted that the reforms improved relations between the government and organised labour while preserving its independence.
He also praised Summonu for strengthening Nigeria’s labour leadership and projecting its influence across Africa and the global stage, adding that he wrote the foreword to the labour leader’s newly launched book, where his contributions to national development were highlighted.
