Abuja – The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has described the death of Prof. Eskor Toyo as a great loss to the labour movement and the country.
In a statement signed by Mr Peters Adeyemi, acting NLC President on Thursday in Abuja, the congress described the deceased as an “unforgettable patriot’’.
The statement said the death of Toyo, a Professor of Economics at the University of Calabar, on Dec. 7, 2015, aged 85,was a devastating blow to the labour movement.
It said that Toyo was a key ally of the movement, participating actively in mobilising the masses against oppression for decades.
The statement recalled that the professor had actively worked with Nigeria’s foremost Labour Leader, the late Michael Imoudu, to organise strikes and other mass actions against the British Colonial Government.
It said Toyo was involved in the struggle for Nigeria’s independence from British colonial rule and lived all his adult life fighting for a better Nigeria until his death.
“We remember him as one of the leading voices in the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), who facilitated the affiliation of the union with the NLC in the 80s.
“This is until the military regime headed by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida removed the union from NLC by military fiat.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
“Toyo and his colleagues, determined to remain with us, fought for the return of ASUU to the NLC and the union has since been re-affiliated with NLC.
“In our struggles against all forms of neo-liberal policies, such as Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), deregulation of the petroleum industry, among others, foisted on Nigerians by the International Monetary Fund, Toyo was with us.’’
The statement said the professor was part of nearly all discussions that led to the formation of pro-people political parties, especially the Labour Party.
It also described him as a “gladiator in progressive politics”, who had sat as consultant to several international organisations as well as agencies of government in Nigeria and Ghana and had pushed development economics to serve the interest of the growing poor in Africa.
The statement described Toyo was a valuable voice in negotiations as a member of the negotiating team of ASUU in the struggles to improve the quality of education in Nigeria.
It said this was through the provision of adequate facilities and conditions of service for academic workers.
“We remember him as a trusted activist, brilliant intellectual, dependable ally, committed fighter and down to earth humanist.
“We condole with his family, the ASUU and indeed all Nigerians.
“We also urge everyone to honour his memory with a renewed commitment to our collective struggle for a better society, ‘’ the statement said. (NAN)