Nigeria’s labour movement has been thrown into mourning following the death of a prominent union leader, Domingo Adeleke, during the ongoing 114th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
Adeleke, who was the Chairman of the Lagos State Joint Negotiating Council and a member of Nigeria’s workers’ delegation to the conference, reportedly died on Monday after a brief illness.
Sources within the labour movement disclosed that the union leader took ill while attending the conference and was rushed to a hospital in Annemasse, France, where he later passed away.
Confirming the development, the Nigeria Labour Congress described his death as a huge loss to organised labour and workers across the country.
In a statement, the NLC said, “It is with deep sorrow that the Nigeria Labour Congress and the entire trade union movement in Nigeria announce the passing of Comrade Domingo Michael Adeleke. He died in Geneva after a brief illness while attending the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference.”
The congress noted that Adeleke served diligently in the Nigerian Civil Service Union and as Chairman of the Lagos State Joint Negotiating Council, earning widespread respect for his commitment to workers’ welfare, industrial harmony and the defence of labour rights.
“Comrade Domingo was a committed trade unionist whose dedication to Nigerian workers and the struggle for decent work took him to the global stage right to the end. His loss is felt deeply by all who knew and worked with him,” the statement added.
The NLC said its leadership had visited the hospital in Annemasse where his remains were deposited and had commenced arrangements for their repatriation to Nigeria. It also extended condolences to his family, colleagues and members of the labour movement, describing his death as a significant loss to organised labour.
