Chiroma, The Fire-eating Unionist, Dies

The labour movement in Nigeria witnessed a depletion in its ardent ranks with the recent death of a one-time leader, Comrade Ali Chiroma, whose death marks the end of a notable seven-decade-long journey devoted to serving the working people of the country and advocating for social justice.

Reacting to this sad development, the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero said his death is a monumental loss that has left a void in the annals of the labour movement that will be deeply felt for generations to come. Ajaero further said that, “beyond his role as a labour leader, Chiroma was a symbol of integrity, courage and compassion. His selfless service to humanity and unwavering commitment to the ideals of justice and equality have left an indelible mark on our collective conscience”.

We recall that the late labour leader was two-term member of the governing body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and served on the committee of Freedom of Association. Similarly, he was also a member of SEC 5, 1983 of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), and a recipient of the title member of the national institute (mni).

In his own tribute, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Festus Osifo, recounted Chiroma’s struggle during the Military regime that seized power on December 31, 1983, and was intolerant of opposing views. The labour leader squared up against the stone- faced dictatorship and led workers opposition to it including on the issue of mass retrenchment of workers across the country.

Osifo added that the Chiroma led NLC, fought the imposition of unpopular International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionalities on the country and led several protests against the fuel price hike and privatisation programmes of the then military administration.
On his part, the Immediate Past President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, acknowledged his invaluable contributions to the labor movement.

According to him “Comrade Ali Chiroma led from the front and refused to shy away from speaking truth to power. He made a lot of sacrifices for the progress, unity, and solidarity of the labour movement from his mother union, the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, where he rose to the pinnacle of his career.”

Wabba emphasized that Chiroma’s accomplishments, institutional impact, and profound contributions to the task of nation-building form a legacy written in gold and etched in the sand dunes of time, forever.
Born on 27 February, 1933, Chiroma was a Nigerian trade unionist who was president of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) from 1984 to 1988. He spent his early years in Maiduguri, Borno State. He attended Yerwa Elementary School and Borno Middle School, trained as a medical field assistant and worked in Jalingo and Mubi. In 1977, he was principal, School of Health Technology, Maiduguri.

At an early age of 17, he embraced trade unionism and was president of the Rural Health Workers Union in 1960. In 1978, after many smaller trade unions were coalesced into 42 industrial unions, Chiroma became deputy president of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria. At the NLC congress in 1981, he was voted as the union’s deputy president and president in 1984, succeeding Hassan Sunmonu.

As president, one major responsibility of Chiroma was to keep the union united as many of its predecessors were split into ideological groups pulling it in different directions at a time when the military was beginning to influence some union leaders. Chiroma’s tenure began at the outset of a change in government from a democratic administration that was ended by a military coup in December 1983. He had the difficult task of managing the union while austerity measures provided reason for workers to be sacked without adherence to disengagement rules and wages were frozen by the new military administration.

As head of the central working committee of NLC, he was also involved in protest concerning changes in minimum wage regulations and acceptance of IMF loan terms. In 1986, a new military junta proposed changes to the minimum wage act that will increase the employee threshold for businesses to be bound by the act, the proposed change was from employers with 50 employees to a new threshold of 500 employees. NLC developed a consistent campaign against the amendment with threats of a national strike which led the proposal to be shelved.

However, his tenure was more known for the protest against the removal of fuel subsidy. The adoption of a structural adjustment programme (SAP) which favored market forces meant subsidies for fuel consumption was likely to be removed. Chiroma’s NLC coordinated rallies with state chapters in protest against the removal of subsidies, criticized and opposed many of the elements of SAP.
A grateful nation conferred on him the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON). Chiroma died on 2 April 2024, at the age of 91. We as a newspaper join his immediate family, other relations, associates and friends in wishing him a peaceful repose.