Ajaero accuses TUC's Osifo of living abroad and leading from afar
- NLC president Joe Ajaero says TUC counterpart Festus Osifo lives in the US and only flies in for meetings.
- Ajaero challenged Osifo and the Immigration Service to prove he has spent months in Nigeria this year.
- The public row follows TUC's rejection of a six-month ₦70,000 transport allowance for public servants.
The row between Nigeria's two biggest labour centres went public on Monday when Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president Joe Ajaero accused his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Festus Osifo, of leading Nigerian workers from abroad.
Speaking on Channels Television's Morning Brief, Ajaero said Osifo does not live in Nigeria and flies in from the United States only to attend meetings before returning.
"He is an absentee president of the TUC. He doesn't live in Nigeria," Ajaero said, according to reports by Daily Post and Leadership.
He challenged Osifo and the Nigeria Immigration Service to show whether the TUC president has spent four to five months in the country this year.
Why it matters to workers
The two centres speak for millions of Nigerian workers, and their split weakens labour's hand in talks with the Federal Government over pay and conditions.
Ajaero argued that a leader based abroad cannot feel what workers face at home, citing fuel selling above ₦1,000 per litre, rent, school fees and feeding a family.
He said he had tried to reach Osifo around June or July to harmonise their positions on the minimum wage, but the talks did not progress. He said Osifo would sometimes reply that he was in transit and promise to call back.
Ajaero also said Osifo had not been seen at National Pension Commission (PenCom) board meetings apart from one virtual appearance. He did not give further details during the interview.
He rejected claims that his own leadership style shut out his counterpart, saying he calls Osifo often. He added that he forwarded news of receiving the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights to Osifo and got no response.
The TUC has not responded publicly to the allegations in the reports reviewed here.
What happens next
The rift widened after the Federal Government approved a ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for public servants for six months from November 2026, with plans to pay outstanding peculiar allowance arrears in instalments.
The NLC defended the deal as a product of negotiation. The TUC rejected it, saying workers need an immediate salary increase and the implementation of existing labour agreements.
Ajaero insists the TUC cannot reject an agreement it did not negotiate, while Osifo has disputed his account of how the allowance was secured.
With both centres dug in, workers hoping for a united push on wages may have to wait for the two leaders to settle their differences.
