…Falana, Imoudu family task Sanwo-Olu over seized property
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
LAGOS — PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu paid glowing tributes to the late Michael Imoudu, Nigeria’s foremost labour leader, on the 20th posthumous anniversary of his death.
Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, in his message, hailed Imoudu as “the conscience of the working class, a fearless voice for the oppressed, and a patriot whose sacrifices laid the foundation for the labour movement in Nigeria.”
The President said: “Workers are not merely factors of production but true partners in progress. Constructive engagement with organised labour remains a cornerstone of our industrial relations framework. The enduring lessons from Pa Imoudu’s life—dialogue over discord, justice over oppression, and unity over division—must continue to guide our national interactions.”
The President reiterated his administration’s commitment to promote decent work, social protection, job creation, skills development, and fair labour practices.
Earlier in his welcome address, the NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero, described Imoudu as a leader whose life was defined not by wealth or titles but by struggl and sacrifice.
He said: “We honour him by becoming the movement. Let us reactivate his militancy in our approach to wage bargaining. Let us reactivate his political clarity in educating our members about the root causes of their suffering.
“As we prepare for the next election cycle, we are not going to beg politicians; we will influence them to meet our demands. We will fight for a redistribution of the wealth we create and demand a living wage that delivers economic justice.”
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, and the family of late labour leader, Pa Michael Imoudu, have urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to intervene in the alleged takeover of Imoudu’s Surulere property by the state government without compensation.
Speaking during the 20th posthumous anniversary of the foremost labour icon, organised by the Imoudu family, Falana said the Surulere land, acquired by Pa Imoudu with support from late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, is valued at over N250 million, but the state allegedly offered N23 million as compensation, which the family has rejected as grossly inadequate.
Falana said: “The land is currently valued at over N250 million, yet the Lagos State Government is offering only N23 million as compensation—an amount he described as “grossly inadequate and deeply insulting. “The family has rejected the offer outright.
Urging the Lagos State government to consider converting the Surulere property into a monument or museum in honour of Pa Imoudu, he said: “All available records clearly show that the land belongs to the Imoudu family estate.”
Speaking for the family, Dr Veronica Omosun-Imoudu urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to allocate alternative land for the Surulere property acquired for a bus terminal.
Omosun-Imoudu said: “Let me publicly restate the appeal of the Imodu family to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to allocate an alternative land for Pa Imodu’s property in Ojuelegba, which was acquired by the state government in the public interest for the construction of a bus terminal.
“We wrote an appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu, which was received and stamped in his office on November 15, 2024. In that letter, we requested the allocation of an alternative land where we can build where we can build the Michael Imodu Labour Museum.”
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