The growing disagreement between Nigeria’s two major labour centres, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has taken a fresh turn, with NLC President, Joe Ajaero, accusing his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo, of being an absentee leader who allegedly resides in the United States and only returns to Nigeria to attend union meetings.

Ajaero made the allegation on Monday, November 2, 2026, during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he questioned Osifo’s commitment to leading Nigerian workers while allegedly spending much of his time outside the country.

Describing Osifo as an absentee president, Ajaero challenged him and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to establish how much time the TUC leader had actually spent in Nigeria this year.

“He is an absentee president of the TUC; he doesn’t live in Nigeria. He comes in from the US to attend meetings and rush back,” Ajaero said.

The NLC president argued that occupying a leadership position in a central labour organisation required regular presence in the country, particularly given the economic challenges confronting Nigerian workers.

He insisted that Osifo’s alleged absence could be verified through his travel records, challenging the TUC president to demonstrate whether he had spent even four to five months in Nigeria in 2026.

“You can’t be living abroad and be holding a position in the central-level organisation, and I challenge him and the Nigerian Immigration Service to prove if he has been in this country for four to five months this year,” he said.

Ajaero also rejected suggestions that he had failed to maintain communication with Osifo over issues affecting organised labour, particularly negotiations on workers’ wages and welfare.

According to him, he had made several attempts to reach the TUC president, including sending messages around June and July to harmonise the positions of both labour centres on the minimum wage.

He claimed that Osifo sometimes responded that he was travelling or in transit and promised to return his calls, but the conversations rarely materialised.

Ajaero maintained that his efforts to engage his counterpart contradicted claims that he had sidelined the TUC in important labour matters.

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“I’ve been trying to reach him. I sent him messages around June or July. I sent messages that we need to harmonise our position, and when I finish, I’ll forward it to you on this issue of minimum wage,” he explained.

He further questioned Osifo’s participation in meetings of the National Pension Commission (PenCom) board, alleging that the TUC president had not been regularly seen at its activities apart from one virtual appearance.

The NLC leader also expressed disappointment over what he described as Osifo’s failure to acknowledge his international recognition, claiming that he had informed his counterpart about receiving the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights but received no response.

Ajaero described the award as a significant recognition for Nigerian organised labour, saying he was the first Nigerian trade unionist to receive it.

The latest confrontation comes amid an escalating disagreement between the two labour organisations over the Federal Government’s approval of a ₦70,000 transport allowance for public servants for six months, beginning in November 2026.

The allowance followed negotiations between the Federal Government and the NLC, but the TUC rejected the arrangement, arguing that it was not adequately involved in the discussions and that the intervention did not address workers’ broader financial challenges.

Osifo had earlier challenged Ajaero’s authority to negotiate on behalf of workers represented by the TUC, insisting that the two labour centres must participate in negotiations affecting their respective members.

Speaking separately on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Osifo described the NLC’s handling of the agreement as an aberration, maintaining that the TUC could not be bound by negotiations conducted without its participation.

He argued that the NLC’s larger number of affiliated unions did not give it the right to negotiate on behalf of TUC-affiliated unions without consultation.

Osifo also disputed Ajaero’s interpretation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles governing workers’ representation, challenging the NLC president to produce any regulation authorising one labour centre to negotiate independently for another.

He maintained that both organisations should participate in negotiations whenever the interests of their respective affiliates were involved.

The TUC president also questioned the procedure adopted in reaching the ₦70,000 agreement, arguing that the meeting which produced the arrangement did not constitute a properly convened meeting of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council.

The disagreement has exposed widening divisions within Nigeria’s organised labour movement, with both presidents exchanging criticisms over leadership, representation, communication and the authority to negotiate workers’ welfare with the Federal Government.

Their public disagreement comes at a time when Nigerian workers are grappling with rising living costs, high transportation expenses, increased food prices and concerns over the adequacy of existing wages.

Neither Ajaero’s allegation about Osifo’s residency nor his claims about the TUC president’s attendance at PenCom meetings have been independently established in the reports of Monday’s exchanges.

The latest accusations have nevertheless added another dimension to the dispute, raising fresh questions about cooperation between the country’s two major labour centres and their ability to present a united position on issues affecting Nigerian workers.

Sources: Channels Television, Punch, The Guardian and LEADERSHIP.

NLC-TUC Feud: Ajaero Questions Osifo’s Whereabouts, Challenges Immigration Service