Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that when he assumed office in 1999, a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was allegedly being funded by the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Speaking on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja during the 85th birthday celebration and book presentation of former NLC president Hassan Summonu, Obasanjo said rival labour organisations were receiving foreign support, with one backed by the Soviet-era KGB and the other by the CIA.
Obasanjo explained that the influence of these foreign agencies undermined Nigeria’s sovereignty and prompted him to initiate reforms to unify the labour movement under domestic control. He appointed Justice Adebiyi to lead the reform, resulting in the creation of a single, nationally organized Nigerian Labour Congress, with Summonu becoming its first elected leader.
The former president emphasized that the reforms aimed to ensure that Nigerian labour organisations were organized, funded, and controlled internally, free from external interference.
Obasanjo also praised Summonu for strengthening labour leadership in Nigeria and expanding its influence across Africa and globally, describing the reforms as a crucial step in asserting Nigeria’s independence in managing its labour affairs.
He noted, “One was being financed by the KGB. That is the truth. And the other one was being financed by CIA. I think Hassan belonged to the one being financed by the KGB… I needed for Nigeria a Nigerian labour union, organized by Nigeria, controlled by Nigeria, financed by Nigeria.”
The disclosure adds to Obasanjo’s reflections on Nigeria’s socio-political history and his efforts to safeguard national institutions from foreign influence.
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