Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says the reforms introduced during his administration as military head of state were meant to reduce the heavy dependence of the labour movement on foreign funding during the Cold War.
Obasanjo spoke on Wednesday during the 85th birthday celebration and memoir launch of Hassan Sunmonu, the pioneer president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Obasanjo served as military head of state from 1976 to 1979. He returned as democratically elected president in 1999 and served until 2007.
Sunmonu served as the NLC president from 1978 to 1984.
Obasanjo said before he introduced the reforms, the labour organisations in the country were split into two factions.
He said one faction was funded by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), while another faction was funded by Soviet-era KGB (Committee for State Security).
Obasanjo said he introduced the reforms because he felt that the labour movement in Nigeria must be funded by Nigerians and not foreign actors.
“These two labour organisations are Nigerian labour organisations, but they were not being financed or funded by Nigeria,” he added.
“I don’t know if you know that, but that was the reality. One was being financed by KGB. That is the truth. And the other one was being financed by CIA. I think Hassan belonged to the one being financed by KGB.
“Then I came on the scene. I needed for Nigeria, a Nigerian labour union, organised by Nigeria, controlled by Nigeria, financed by Nigeria. So I decided there was going to be a labour union reform. And I think the man I put in charge is Justice Adebiyi.”
Obasanjo added that the reform led to the creation of the NLC, the umbrella body of the labour union in Nigeria.
