The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has wrapped up a three-day training in Kano aimed at rethinking how trade unions operate and urging labour leaders to pay more attention to political and policy issues affecting workers.
The training, part of the Kano Labour Institute, brought together unionists from different sectors to examine the limitations of current union practices and explore how to better understand the systems shaping workers’ lives.
Speaking at the closing session on Wednesday, former General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade John Odah, told participants that union education must go beyond salary negotiations.
“Trade union education is not just about negotiation or defending salaries. It is about giving workers a political and ideological compass,” Odah said. “When you don’t understand the system you are fighting, your struggle becomes weak and misdirected.”
He said past gains by the Nigerian labour movement came from leaders who understood politics, economics, and power.
“Those who laid the foundation of the Nigerian labour movement were not only agitators—they were thinkers. They understood the economy, the state, and power relations. That’s what gave them strength,” he noted.
Odah warned that unions risk becoming irrelevant if they focus only on wages and ignore the broader issues affecting workers.
“If unions don’t educate their members politically, others will miseducate them. And when that happens, we all pay the price,” he said.
At the opening session, CITAD Executive Director, Engr. Y.Z. Ya’u, challenged union leaders to go beyond “bread and butter unionism” and think more critically about their role.
“The program is designed to revive trade union education so that union members are better equipped with skills and knowledge to effectively represent workers, including through collective bargaining, to win meaningful victories for their members,” Ya’u said.
He called on labour leaders to pay attention to national policies and political developments, and to focus on building the intellectual and political strength of their unions.
“Unions must not become docile spaces filled with uncritical members. We need a culture of internal democracy, accountability, and political literacy,” Ya’u said.
He described the training as a test run, encouraging participants to reflect on their experiences and return to their communities with fresh ideas.
Others who spoke at the event included Prof. Dung Pam Sha of the University of Jos, Comrade Dr. Mairo Bello, Comrade Hon. Azumi Bebeji, and Dr. Muttaqa Yusha’u, Head of Training at the Nigerian Labour Congress.
The three-day session is part of CITAD’s effort to promote political awareness and active citizenship through education at the community level.
