Sokoto NLC Seeks Govt Intervention to Rebuild Secretariat Destroyed by Fire

By Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

The Sokoto State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the state government to urgently reconstruct its Secretariat, which was completely destroyed by a devastating fire outbreak on May 2, 2026.

Speaking to journalists in Sokoto on Wednesday, the state Vice Chairman of the NLC, Dr. Abdullahi Abubakar Yabo, said the inferno caused losses worth hundreds of millions of naira, including office equipment, furniture and vital documents accumulated over three decades.

“We are appealing to the state government to come to our urgent aid as it had vowed to put up a more befitting, workers-friendly ultra-modern edifice for us,” Yabo said on behalf of the state NLC Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu, popularly known as “Jungle.”

He described the incident as a major setback to the labour movement in the state, lamenting that nothing was salvaged from the building.

“We lost everything as the entire building was burnt to ashes. Documents, office equipment, furniture and several other valuables were completely destroyed,” he added.

According to him, the Congress has engaged engineers from the Federal and State Ministries of Works to assess the structure and determine whether it can still be reconstructed or should be demolished for a fresh building project.

“They have completed their assessment and will soon submit their report to the NLC,” he stated.

Yabo disclosed that the union had formally written to both the Sokoto State Government and the National Secretariat of the NLC, seeking immediate intervention to rebuild the Secretariat.

He noted that the Deputy Governor, the Head of Service and other senior government officials had visited the site to sympathise with the union and assured members that the state government would provide a new Secretariat.

“From their promises, we believe the state government will soon intervene and redeem its pledge to build a befitting Secretariat for workers in the state,” he said.

The labour leader also acknowledged what he described as the cordial relationship between the Sokoto State Government and organised labour, while calling on well-wishers and corporate organisations to support the rebuilding efforts.

Meanwhile, he revealed that the Congress had temporarily rented an office space to continue its activities pending the reconstruction of the burnt structure.

Yabo further urged the national leadership of the NLC to assist the state council in securing a more suitable temporary office accommodation.

He explained that it is constitutionally the responsibility of state governments to provide Secretariats for NLC councils across the country.

The Vice Chairman also disclosed plans by the council to explore Public-Private Partnership arrangements with banks, corporate organisations and individuals to establish businesses on the vast land belonging to the union.

According to him, the initiative is aimed at generating additional revenue and ensuring the financial independence of the Congress.

The fire incident reportedly occurred around 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 2, barely 24 hours after workers in the state celebrated the 2026 International Workers’ Day.

Eyewitnesses said the fire spread rapidly before emergency responders arrived at the scene.

Officials of the union suspect the inferno was caused by an electrical fault linked to persistent power surges.

“We suspect it was caused by an electrical fault. By the time the fire was noticed, it had already spread across the building,” the Secretary of the Sokoto NLC Council, Hamisu Hussaini, had earlier said.

He disclosed that computers, printers, televisions, refrigerators, furniture and documents spanning more than 30 years were destroyed in the blaze.

Firefighters were said to have arrived about an hour after the outbreak and succeeded in extinguishing the flames, though extensive damage had already been done.

Reacting to the incident earlier, the Sokoto NLC Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Aliyu “Jungle,” described the development as “unfortunate and disheartening.”

“This is a painful loss for the labour movement in Sokoto. The extent of destruction is enormous, and it comes at a time we were just reflecting on the significance of workers’ welfare and unity,” he said.