Fresh allegations from the family of late Nigerian labour icon Pa Michael Imoudu have reignited controversy surrounding the role of former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president and ex-Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, in events following Imoudu’s death.
Speaking at the 20th posthumous anniversary of Pa Imoudu held in Lagos on December 20, 2025, his daughter, Dr Veronica Imoudu-Omosun, accused the NLC leadership under Oshiomhole of abandoning the family during preparations for her father’s burial.
Dr Imoudu-Omosun said that despite her father’s historic role as Nigeria’s first labour leader and organiser of the country’s first general strike, the NLC allegedly failed to support his family at their most vulnerable moment.
According to her, a tripartite burial committee involving the Imoudu family, the NLC, and the Edo State Government was constituted after Pa Imoudu’s death in 2005. While funds were reportedly provided by the Edo State Government, she claimed none of the money reached the family.
She further revealed that the NLC launched an Imoudu Burial Appeal Fund, attracting donations from affiliate unions, corporate organisations, and individuals. However, the family allegedly received no financial support from the fund.
As the burial date approached with no funds released, the family reportedly asked the eldest son, Dr Wilfred Imoudu, to approach Oshiomhole directly. According to Dr Imoudu-Omosun, Oshiomhole declined assistance and allegedly asked, “Can’t you bury your father?”
Dr Wilfred Imoudu reportedly responded that the family could bury their father in their own way.
Beyond financial issues, Dr Imoudu-Omosun accused Oshiomhole of frustrating plans for a lying-in-state ceremony in Lagos, where Pa Imoudu lived much of his life and where workers were expected to pay their final respects.
She explained that arrangements had been made to transport Pa Imoudu’s remains from Benin to Lagos and back the same day, with the Nigerian Air Force Base in Benin agreeing to handle the return flight at a modest cost.
Following this, the NLC wrote to then Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu on August 26, 2005, requesting support. The Lagos State Government reportedly provided Rowe Park, Yaba, as the venue, declared a half-day holiday for workers, and donated funds.
A letter dated September 30 indicated that ₦1 million was given to the NLC Lagos State Council and ₦2 million to the NLC National Headquarters. However, Dr Imoudu-Omosun claimed that Oshiomhole refused to release part of the ₦2 million to cover flight costs, resulting in the cancellation of the planned lying-in-state in Lagos.
She also reflected on her father’s life of sacrifice, noting that despite his fame and influence from the 1940s until his death, Pa Imoudu lived modestly, never owned a house, and was once evicted from his residence popularly known as “Imoudu House.” She said it took the intervention of Chief Obafemi Awolowo to provide him with basic comfort in his later years.
Dr Imoudu-Omosun expressed appreciation that the 20th anniversary commemoration was held in Lagos and jointly organised by the Imoudu family and what she described as a more responsive NLC leadership, contrasting it with the experience in 2005.
The revelations have renewed debate among labour activists and historians over how Nigeria honours its heroes and the alleged treatment of the country’s foremost labour leader in death.
