Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Lagos, Nigeria — Fresh and emotionally charged allegations have emerged from the family of Pa Michael Imoudu, Nigeria’s foremost labour leader, accusing Senator Adams Oshiomhole of deliberately humiliating the late unionist and obstructing burial arrangements following his death in 2005. The claims were made publicly by Dr Veronica Imoudu‑Omosun, one of Pa Imoudu’s daughters, as part of the 20th posthumous anniversary commemorative activities held on December 20, 2025 in Lagos.
Pa Michael Imoudu, widely celebrated as a pioneering force in Nigeria’s organised labour movement and often referred to as “labour leader number one,” played a central role in shaping the country’s labour struggles, including leading the first general strike in modern Nigerian history. Despite his towering legacy, his daughter asserted that when he passed away in 2005, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) — then led by Adams Oshiomhole — failed to provide meaningful support to the family during his burial proceedings. According to her account, this treatment represented a stark departure from the respect and recognition typically accorded to a figure of Imoudu’s stature.
Dr Imoudu‑Omosun explained that a tripartite burial committee — comprising the Imoudu family, the Nigeria Labour Congress, and the Edo State Government — was constituted after her father’s death to organise his final rites. While funds were reportedly contributed by the state government, none of the assistance intended for Pa Imoudu’s interment was channelled to the family, she said. An “Imoudu Burial Appeal Fund” was also established by the NLC, with donations from affiliate unions, corporate bodies and well‑wishers. Yet, the family claims it never benefited from those resources.
As the burial date approached and funds remained unreleased, the family directed its eldest son to appeal directly to Adams Oshiomhole. Dr Imoudu‑Omosun recounted that Oshiomhole’s response was dismissive, reportedly asking, “Can’t you bury your father?” — a remark that, in her view, epitomised a lack of regard for Pa Imoudu’s legacy and sacrifice. When the family replied that they could “bury our father in our own way,” the efforts to organise a lying‑in‑state in Lagos — where Pa Imoudu had lived much of his life and where many workers had hoped to pay their respects — were allegedly frustrated, she said.
Plans for transporting Pa Imoudu’s remains from Benin to Lagos and back on the same day were reportedly in place, with coordination efforts involving the Benin Air Force Base and modest cost arrangements. Documents and correspondence cited by Dr Imoudu‑Omosun indicate that the Lagos State Government made financial contributions and provided Rowe Park, Yaba, as a venue for the event. Nevertheless, the family maintains that, despite repeated requests, Oshiomhole failed to release part of the N2 million federal allocation intended to support the flight and lying‑in‑state. As a result, the public lying‑in‑state in Lagos did not take place as planned, she said.
The allegations have cast a spotlight on the often‑complex dynamics between Nigeria’s labour movement and its leaders, particularly when those figures transition into political roles. Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (1999–2007) and a former governor of Edo State who currently represents Edo North in the Senate, has previously been celebrated for his leadership in labour reform and activism.
Dr Imoudu‑Omosun’s remarks at the anniversary event conveyed a deep sense of historical grievance, emphasising that her father, despite being revered by labour activists and workers alike, died without adequate material comfort and recognition from the institutions he helped shape. She recalled that late in life Pa Imoudu had once struggled financially, and that it was only through the personal intervention of national figures like Chief Obafemi Awolowo that he secured some semblance of stability before his death.
While the current leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress has been described by the family as more responsive in organising the 20th commemoration, the controversy has reignited discussion on how Nigeria honours its historical figures and the responsibilities of organisations that claim lineage from those legacies. Labour historians and activists have noted that such revelations prompt reflection on both institutional memory and ethical stewardship within the labour movement.
At the commemoration event, Dr Imoudu‑Omosun juxtaposed her father’s enduring public esteem with what she described as a failure of leadership and solidarity at his moment of need, saying the contrast between public adulation and private abandonment remains a painful chapter in the narrative of Nigeria’s labour history. The family’s account reflects broader calls within civil society for transparency and accountability in managing funds and honouring contributions made by national icons.
As the story continues to circulate in public discourse and labour circles, it underscores an ongoing tension in Nigeria’s political and civil society landscape: how to balance reverence for historical contributions with scrutiny of contemporary leadership conduct, especially when those leaders claim direct succession from the very movements they once led.
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