•Joe Ajaero
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has been honoured as the 2026 laureate of the Arthur Svensson International Award for his courage and commitment to defending workers’ rights.
Ajaero is the first trade union leader in Nigeria to receive the Arthur Svensson Award, established in memory of the legendary Norwegian trade unionist and internationalist, Arthur Svensson
Speaking at the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway, yesterday , Ajaero said that the honour was not a personal achievement but recognition of the struggles of workers across Nigeria.
“I stand before you today not as a man, but as a symbol, a true symbol of millions of Nigerian workers who wake up every morning not just to the smell of tear gas, the sound of sirens, and the cold silence of a state that preys on its own people but who go to work hungry and come back hungrier more emasculated than before they left for work,” he said.
Ajaero is the first trade union leader in Nigeria to receive the Arthur Svensson Award, established in memory of the legendary Norwegian trade unionist and internationalist, Arthur Svensson.
The award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strategic acumen and an unwavering commitment to defending workers’ rights and trade union freedoms worldwide.
