Edo NLC Chair Slams Political Interference, Calls for Action at 34th NUCFRLANMPE Industrial Seminar in Benin
By Isaac Eranga
BENIN CITY, NIGERIA — The conflict between organized labor and state authorities in Edo State took center stage on Monday, August 17, 2026, as Comrade Prof. Monday Lewis Igbafen, Chairman of the Caretaker Committee for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Edo State Council, delivered a hard-hitting goodwill address at the opening of the 34th Annual Industrial Relations Seminar.
Addressing delegates at the national gathering of the National Union of Chemical Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE) in Benin City, Igbafen used the high-profile platform to expose what he characterized as a breakdown in local labor-government relations.
While welcoming national union leadership—including NUCFRLANMPE National President Comrade Tunde Olagoke and National Secretary Comrade Bolarinwa Sunday—Igbafen quickly pivoted from local hospitality to a sharp critique of the local political climate.
Key Highlights from the Address
- The Theme: Centered on “Emerging Trends in Employment Contracts: Implications for Decent Work,” the seminar focuses on the global and national shifts toward precarious work, casualization, and evolving employment terms.
- Critique of State Relations: Igbafen explicitly condemned the “twin evils of undue interference and the dangerous politicization of labour,” stating that actions by state authorities have poisoned the relationship between the NLC apex body and the government.
- A Vow of Resistance: Declaring the current friction a “malaise we can no longer tolerate,” the NLC Chairman pledged that the state council would actively confront political encroachment on trade union autonomy.
- Call for Radical Strategy: Igbafen challenged the seminar to move beyond academic discourse and generate actionable strategies to heal and transform the “corrosive state of industrial relations” across Nigeria.
The host city’s selection highlights Edo State’s strategic position in Nigeria’s industrial landscape, particularly within manufacturing and processing. However, the opening remarks underscore a rising tide of labor unrest, setting a tense tone for the multi-day seminar as union leaders seek to defend collective bargaining rights and the core principles of decent work.
