Lagos, Nigeria – June 12, 2025 — As Nigeria marks the 32nd anniversary of the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election, prominent labour figures are calling for national recognition of trade unionists who played pivotal roles in the fight to actualize the mandate of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
The annulled election—widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history—was won by Chief Abiola under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), defeating his opponent, Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC). Despite the credibility of the poll, the results were nullified by the then military government led by General Ibrahim Babangida, sparking a nationwide outcry and sustained civil resistance.
Among the groups that stood firmly against the annulment were Nigeria’s oil and gas labour unions—PENGASSAN and NUPENG—whose strategic strikes significantly crippled the economy and mounted pressure on the military regime.
In a statement commemorating the anniversary, a former frontline labour activist who was then Deputy General Secretary of PENGASSAN, called for overdue recognition of union members who risked their lives and livelihoods during the pro-democracy struggle.
“The sacrifices made by these unsung heroes must not be forgotten,” he said. “Many of us endured arrests, threats, and exile. Our offices were invaded, and some leaders were jailed without trial. Yet we persisted.”
According to him, the decision to embark on the historic strike was made during a tense emergency National Executive Council meeting in Benin City, despite military surveillance and harassment. “It was a decisive moment. If we failed, we could have been crushed. But we knew the nation was watching,” he recounted.
He noted that while civil protests began to wane, the intervention of labour unions revitalized the movement. The alliance with pro-democracy groups such as NADECO, and figures like Prince Ademola Oyekan, Chief Ayo Opadokun, and then-activist Bola Ahmed Tinubu, proved instrumental.
Notable union leaders from that era include Comrades Bola Owodunni, Chief Milton Dabibi, Babatunde Ogun, Matthew Awhata, Bayo Olowoshile, Frank Addo, Sunny Onyemaechi, Pius Okorigba, Elijah Okougbo (now deceased), and Joseph Akinlaja of NUPENG.
Their efforts, the former labour leader said, were not just patriotic but decisive in sustaining the call for democracy that eventually led to the military’s exit from power. He also acknowledged silent supporters like Chief S.S. Afemikhe, a chartered accountant who allowed union activities to be coordinated from his office at great personal risk.
However, despite Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 under General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s transition government, many of these contributors remain unrecognized.
“Unfortunately, while some who were silent during the struggle now occupy powerful positions, those who sacrificed everything remain in the shadows,” he lamented. “It’s time for national acknowledgment. These are not just labour leaders—they are patriots who deserve a place in Nigeria’s democratic story.”
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, himself a product of the June 12 movement, to lead efforts in recognizing and rehabilitating surviving labour veterans and the families of those who have passed.
“As our national anthem reminds us, ‘The labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain.’ These words must apply not only to politicians, but to the workers who dared to defy dictatorship.”
He concluded with a quote from American attorney Albert Pike: “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
