Toyin Falola
A CONVERSATION WITH COMRADE HASSAN SUNMONU, OON, PART 2
(This is the second report on a Conversation with Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, OON, January 4, 2026. For the transcript, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r9bw0JA5AI)
In conversations on labor recruitment, treatment, and management within the Nigerian and African spaces, the efforts of specific individuals cannot be overemphasized. One of such outstanding people is Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, whose expeditious undertakings marked a solid beginning in the affairs of labor unions and workers in Nigeria. That Comrade Hassan Sunmonu introduced a somewhat different yet effective dimension to the question of labor representation is a fact fossilized in Nigerian history, and to access it, we need to invoke essential historical information that will facilitate our understanding of his contribution. Before the termination of colonial rule in Nigeria, workers were not treated with the dignity they deserved, for two crucial reasons.
First, colonial figures still operate under the mindset of a master-subject relationship, where the subject is considered unimportant in the decision-making process that primarily affects them. Meanwhile, there was a young, vibrant group of Nigerians that ordinarily understood the imperatives of worker efficiency, driven by inclusive leadership, policy adjustments, and even political imprint that galvanizes support for the labor force, which has been forced to occupy the periphery. This group formed their Union, and from there they began organizing to push a common agenda towards the government that has made a name for itself by exploiting laborers for provincial objectives. This was the labor union that Nigeria eventually inherited after independence, and it is encouraging to know that one of the figures shaping it is Comrade Sunmonu, whose engagements in this conversation raise essential national and continental matters.
Labor unions of his time were well-organized, and they maintained an ideological compass that influenced how deeply they committed themselves to the aspirations of marginalized people whose labor underlies the country’s wealth, and even to the well-being of specific individuals. During this time, they encountered all forms of resistance and pushback from the government, which had substantial resources at its disposal to frustrate the efforts of anyone who challenged its authority. But it is remarked that Comrade Sunmonu was a selfless and relentless leader of the Union that demands accountability from the government, by speaking with such a high moral authority that they would even incur the wrath of the government on themselves. It did not matter to them whether they suffered personal and professional tragedy as a result of their dedication.
What motivated them was the conviction that the public deserved fair treatment, and it did not matter what cost achieving that demanded; they would not succumb to the pressure of the individuals who were taking advantage of the people in the first instance. They were arrested, molested, and even humiliated, leaving them to suffer detrimental consequences on their health, career, and family, because what it required to challenge the government was often more than what they could generally have. But that has changed significantly to the extent that labor unionism and its leadership are now polarized along partisan lines, making it virtually impossible to demand fair treatment of workers from employers, much less to demand accountability from leaders. The time has never been riper for a rebuild.
To put it in context, the significance of labor in the evolution of political engagements and participation in other places cannot be overemphasized. In some developed countries, the forces of labor have produced profound results, among them the redefinition of their political systems to accommodate the voices of groups that form the nation’s foundation. Within the Nigerian and African political space, however, there has always been some level of critical resistance to the unification of labour voices to enhance distributive democracy and effective leadership. Anytime labor makes efforts to contribute to political engagements in the country, they always face defining resistance from the political class. Meanwhile, the labor force comprises groups of individuals who contribute meaningfully to the exploration of natural and human resources for national and continental growth.
It is therefore befuddling that such an important group in our national polity does not hold substantial power to determine what happens to them through political participation and policy interest. It seems that recent developments have exposed the human frailty in labor union leadership. This is generally because of the immoral participation of labor leaders in partisan leadership, which ultimately prevents the active engagement of labor voices in their country’s affairs. The implications of this for democracy are numerous. For one, it casts an expensive shadow on the essentiality of labor unionism, in terms of how morally right they are in addressing the issues confronting the public when they themselves are instruments of political power that complicate workers’ affairs. With this stigma hanging over labor union leaders, the possibility of involvement in progressive affairs is severely hampered.
And then the question arises: Is it commendable to die for one’s country, given the understanding that labor union leaders are naturally placed in situations that demand ultimate sacrifice? It is interesting to note that such a question elicits different responses depending on who is answering it. Consider, for example, that previous generations of Nigerians were fortunate to benefit substantially from their government’s largesse. They were a generation that benefited significantly from the government’s cover and understood the imperatives of effective leadership at the helm of affairs. If these groups of people therefore rise to challenge the authority of their leaders who have either deliberately or otherwise disincentivized leadership to the extent that the people’s welfare is not prioritized, it will be understandable.
It was essential for them because they knew the country was in its infancy and would require them to become deeply involved to help reshape it for the benefit of all. However, the generation today cannot share the same sentiment, given that it is not disconnected from the sheer abandonment they have suffered at the hands of their government. Unlike earlier generations, the current ones do not have access to the basic qualities of life that would have made their life enjoyable, and they have suffered significantly from deliberate, irresponsible leadership. To therefore ask them to lose their lives for such a country is to demand an unrequited commitment that is driven by parasitic inclination. At the same time, people can fight and even die for their country if they see it as something that belongs to them in practice and reality.
To underscore the importance of standing to defend one’s country, there are historical figures who can be invoked, among them Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Fela Anikulapo Kuti of Nigeria. For them, the quest for demanding fairness and accountability from the government is something that everyone must take very seriously. For Kwame, it is practically not negotiable to fight for the African continent, because the alternative is never a good one. He looks at events through the layers of historical happenings that have complicated the fate and future of the African people, and at the base of it is the colonial force that is eternally committed to the exploitation and despoliation of African resources to improve the economy of the West.
Therefore, standing firmly against the force that enhances this is an ultimate sacrifice that every African should make without a second thought. For Fela, there is a similar understanding of the challenges; however, he offers an interesting perspective on the underbelly of African problems. Fela understands that colonial powers are indeed blinding and uneventful, but he is convinced that neocolonial leaders are themselves a doppelganger of their colonial imperialists. These individuals have mastered the art of increasing citizens’ travails by introducing exploitative policies that strip power from the people and undermine their essence. According to them, it is therefore necessary that everyday Africans stand up to these individuals who stand in the way of their collective destiny.