Fresh revelations by the Imoudu family have reignited controversy over the role played by former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president and ex‑Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, in what they describe as the deliberate humiliation of Nigeria’s foremost labour icon, Pa Michael Imoudu, even after his death.
The allegations were made by Pa Imoudu’s daughter, Veronica Imoudu‑Omosun, while delivering remarks at the 20th posthumous anniversary of the late labour leader held on December 20, 2025, in Lagos.
According to Dr Imoudu‑Omosun, despite Pa Imoudu being hailed as “labour leader number one” and as having led “the first General strike in the history of the country,” the NLC under Oshiomhole allegedly abandoned his family during his burial arrangements.
She disclosed that a tripartite burial committee comprising the family, the NLC, and the Edo State government was established after Pa Imoudu’s death in 2005. While the state government provided some funds, she said, none percolated to the family.
Imoudu‑Omosun further revealed that although the NLC launched an Imoudu Burial Appeal Fund, to which affiliate unions, corporate organisations and individuals contributed, the family never received the expected support for the funeral.
As the burial date approached and no funds had been released, the family sent their eldest son, Wilfred Imoudu, to approach Oshiomhole directly.
What followed, according to Dr Imoudu‑Omosun, has since become emblematic of alleged disdain for a man who dedicated his life to workers’ struggles.
In denying the family any assistance, Oshiomhole reportedly asked, “Can’t you bury your father?”
To which Dr Wilfred Imoudu replied, “We can bury our father in our own way.”
Beyond burial funds, Dr Imoudu‑Omosun said Oshiomhole played a central role in frustrating plans for a lying‑in‑state in Lagos, a city where Pa Imoudu spent most of his life and where workers hoped to pay him their last respects.
She said arrangements had been made to fly Pa Imoudu’s remains from Benin to Lagos and back on the same day, with the Air Force Base in Benin agreeing to do so at a modest cost.
Based on this, the NLC wrote to then Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu on August 26, 2005, requesting support, including funds, a venue, and the release of workers.
While the Lagos State government provided Rowe Park, Yaba, as a venue and granted a half‑day holiday for workers, and donated ₦1 million to the NLC Lagos State Council and ₦2 million to the NLC National Headquarters, Dr Imoudu‑Omosun said that despite repeated demands, Oshiomhole refused to release part of the ₦2 million to pay for the flight.
She stated, “My father’s remains could not be flown to Lagos and the lying‑in‑state could not hold.”
Dr Imoudu‑Omosun recalled that despite her father’s fame and adoration from the 1940s until his demise in 2005, he “was a poor man who never had enough money to build a house” and was once evicted from his modest home known as “Imoudu House.”
She noted that it took the intervention of Chief Obafemi Awolowo to secure basic comfort for Pa Imoudu late in life, while his own labour movement allegedly failed him in death.
Although Dr Imoudu‑Omosun said she was happy this 20th commemoration of Pa Imoudu’s passing is being held in Lagos, she contrasted it with the past treatment.
She pointedly noted that the event is now being jointly organised by the Imoudu Family and a more responsive NLC leadership, signalling a departure from the grievances of two decades ago.