Dr. Onyike
A former Ebonyi Commissioner for Information, Dr Abia Onyike, has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to play a strategic role in rescuing Nigeria from its current governance and economic challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Onyike made the call while presenting a paper titled, “The Nigerian Working Class Movement and the 2027 General Elections: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities,” at the 2026 NLC Rain School held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
The speech was made available to news men on Saturday in Abakaliki.
The former commissioner who also served as Deputy National Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), as well as chairman of Ebonyi State Council of NUJ, said that the labour movement remained Nigeria’s most enduring patriotic organisation.
According to him, the movement has played pivotal roles in the country’s anti-colonial struggle, the fight for independence, the defence of workers’ rights and the restoration of democracy.
“The movement is more significant, more important and more strategic than all the bourgeois political parties in Nigeria, past and present,” Onyike said.
He said Nigeria was facing a dangerous combination of economic decline, mass unemployment, multidimensional poverty, decaying infrastructure, insecurity and weakening democratic institutions.
“The scenario requires a national emergency in order to rescue Nigeria from going into oblivion,” he said.
Onyike blamed the country’s predicament on years of poor leadership, corruption and neo-liberal economic policies, which, according to him, had impoverished workers and eroded the middle class.
He urged organised labour to sustain advocacy for improved workers’ welfare while championing broader national reforms.
Reviewing the history of labour’s political engagement, Onyike highlighted the contributions of labour leaders such as Michael Imoudu, Wahab Goodluck and Samuel Udo Bassey, noting that the movement had consistently influenced Nigeria’s political evolution.
He also recalled labour’s collaboration with civil society organisations, university lecturers and student groups during the struggle against military rule, describing it as evidence of the movement’s capacity to mobilise Nigerians for national causes.
“The Labour movement must demonstrate greater patriotism through the deployment of all lawful means to rescue Nigeria from its gradual descent into anarchy and perdition,” he said.
The former labour leader proposed three options for organised labour ahead of the 2027 elections.
They include forging an alliance with a political party committed to progressive reforms, partnering civil society organisations to ensure free, fair and credible elections, or endorsing any political platform with a demonstrable pro-workers agenda.
“The decision on which option to take should be collectively arrived at after thorough consultations,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the labour movement possessed the credibility, history and organisational strength to make meaningful contributions to Nigeria’s democratic renewal and national development. ENDS//
