The former President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ali Chiroma OON, mni, clocked the enviable age of 80 on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 and is still waxing strong.
Comrade Chiroma is an indefatigable, humble and caring leader, who started his trade union career in 1950, and rose to be President of the Rural Health Workers Union in 1960. By 1978, he had become Deputy President of the Medical and Health Workers Union after the voluntary merger of the 17 unions in the health sector. He was also the State Council Chairman of the Borno State Council of Nigeria Labour Congress from 1978 to1981.
From 1981 to 1984, he was the first Deputy National President of the NLC, assuming full Presidency from 1984 to 1988 as the second President after the tenure of Comrade Hassan Sunmonu.
Comrade Chiroma represented workers on the governing board of the International Labour Organisation, ILO from 1984 to 1990. Earlier in 1983, he attended Course 5 of the prestigious National Institute for Policy Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.
Comrade Chiroma was also a member of the Constitutional Conference Commission from 1995 to 1998 and was at various times an ILO Consultant on Workers’ Education in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra-Leone, the Gambia, Uganda and Eritrea.
Comrade Chiroma was President of the Congress in one of the most turbulent periods in Nigeria’s history and confronted the military dictatorships of Generals Mohammadu Buhari and Ibrahim Babangida, for which he suffered harassment, arrests and detentions.
During his tenure as President of the NLC, he developed an organisational alliance with the students movement and was a strong voice in defence of the rights of Nigerian students as well as the right of all Nigerians to affordable education. When students were violently attacked with several of the students murdered by the Nigeria Police at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria the NLC under Comrade Ali Chiroma’s leadership stood strongly by the students.
We will continue to regard this tireless, forthright, committed and very thorough comrade as a living hero of not just the struggles of the Nigerian workers but an indispensable patriot and hero of the Nigerian people who committed himself to the struggle for democracy, as well as to the promotion of trade union and human rights in Nigeria and the African continent.
On behalf of Nigerian workers, we salute this man of courage, exemplary self discipline and committed patriot and wish him many more years of good health.
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