The General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Emmanuel Ugboaja, has died at the age of 60.
Ugboaja’s death was conveyed to members of the NLC National Executive Council in a letter from his family, which was subsequently made public by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero.
The veteran labour leader and lawyer served as the fifth General Secretary of the country’s foremost labour centre, having assumed office in August 2019.
His death marks the loss of a prominent figure in Nigeria’s trade union movement, where he spent decades advocating workers’ interests.
Born on May 15, 1966, Ugboaja obtained a law degree from the University of Calabar in 1987 before embarking on a career that combined legal practice with trade union administration.
The NLC’s historical biography identified him as the first Nigerian lawyer to take up full-time employment with a trade union.
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Ugboaja’s years in the labour movement saw him rise through the ranks before he was appointed to lead the NLC secretariat as General Secretary in 2019.
Details about the cause of death were not immediately disclosed, while information on his burial arrangements was also unavailable as of the time of filing this report.

