EXCLUSIVE: How TUC Secretary General Nuhu Toro Diverted 400 Bags Of Tinubu Govt Rice, Kept Them At Home Until They Spoiled – Organised Labour Sources

 

One of the sources, who expressed anger over the alleged handling of the relief materials, said Toro took the entire allocation to his residence instead of making it available to the union’s members.

Sources within the labour movement have accused the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Nuhu Toro, of diverting 400 bags of Federal Government rice allocated to the union for distribution among its leadership and members, alleging that he kept the food items at his private residence in Karu, Nasarawa State, where some of them reportedly began to spoil.

The sources told SaharaReporters that the rice was part of a Federal Government intervention provided to organised labour in 2024 to cushion the economic hardship caused by the removal of the petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.Follow Politics

According to them, while the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) received 600 bags and distributed them among its officials and structures, the TUC received 400 bags but allegedly failed to distribute any to its National Administrative Council (NAC), National Executive Council (NEC), state councils or national secretariat staff.

One of the sources, who expressed anger over the alleged handling of the relief materials, said Toro took the entire allocation to his residence instead of making it available to the union’s members.

“The TUC got 400 bags, but Mr Toro, the TUC Secretary General, diverted it to his house in Karu, where he kept it until some started spoiling,” the source told SaharaReporters.

The source alleged that Toro eventually distributed some of the rice after it had begun to deteriorate, but that the beneficiaries were people outside the TUC rather than the union’s own leadership and members.

“He later shared with some people outside TUC, including some NLC staff members, who later got from him because he worked in the NLC for 18 years before joining TUC in 2019,” the source said.

The source insisted that no official structure or staff member of the TUC benefited from the allocation.

“But no TUC NAC, NEC or State Council or staff got a single bag from the rice,” the source said.

Another source familiar with the controversy also alleged that the rice was distributed only after some bags had started spoiling, and that the distribution did not extend to TUC members.

“He shared it last year after it started spoiling, but not for TUC members,” the source said.

The allegations raise questions about the management of relief materials provided by the Federal Government to organised labour at a time when workers were facing severe financial pressure following the removal of the petrol subsidy and the resulting increase in the cost of living.

The intervention was intended to provide food assistance to workers and union members struggling with rising food prices and declining purchasing power. The sources said the allocation was meant to be shared among the leadership and relevant organs of the two labour centres, including their national and state-level structures.

The sources contrasted the alleged handling of the TUC’s allocation with the distribution reportedly carried out by the NLC, which received 600 bags.

“NLC got 600 bags which they distributed but TUC got 400 bags but Mr Toro, the TUC Secretary General, diverted the bags to his house in Karu, where he kept them until some started spoiling,” one of the sources said.

“NLC’S NAC (National Administrative Council), NEC (National Executive Council), state councils and secretariat staff benefited from the allocation.

“At a time when Nigerian workers were battling unprecedented economic hardship, rising food prices, declining purchasing power and deteriorating living conditions, the Federal Government’s intervention through the provision of rice to organised labour was expected to offer some relief.

“The intention of such an intervention was to provide food assistance to organised labour for distribution among workers and union members who are struggling to survive the prevailing economic crisis, but sadly, the TUC rice was diverted.”

They argued that if the rice was allocated to the TUC as an institution to support workers, its secretary general could not legitimately keep the entire consignment at a private residence without accounting for its distribution.

Sources Raise Questions Over Toro’s Wealth And Lifestyle

The aggrieved labour sources also raised questions about Toro’s alleged accumulation of wealth and his lifestyle since becoming a senior official of the TUC.

One of the sources claimed that Toro owned about eight luxury vehicles, including expensive sports utility vehicles and Mercedes-Benz cars.

“He has about eight luxury cars, and they are all latest cars,” the source alleged.

The source further listed some of the vehicles allegedly belonging to the TUC secretary general.

“He has a 2024 Land Cruiser SUV, two Benz, white and black, one Toyota Hilux, one 2024 Lexus SUV,” the source said.

SaharaReporters could not independently establish the ownership of the vehicles or verify the source’s claim about the number of cars.

However, the sources argued that the alleged failure to distribute the rice, alongside questions about the secretary general’s personal wealth, should prompt a broader examination of accountability and the management of resources within the labour organisation.

Toro’s Rise In TUC Leadership

Toro joined the TUC in 2019 as deputy secretary general after spending about 18 years in the NLC, where he served as assistant secretary general.

He subsequently became secretary general following the death of the then TUC secretary general, Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi, who was among the victims of the March 28, 2022 terrorist attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train.

Ozigi was travelling to Kaduna for an official assignment scheduled for March 29, 2022, when the train was attacked. His death was subsequently confirmed by the TUC leadership.

The aggrieved sources said the organisation’s leadership and the management of its resources should be subjected to greater scrutiny, particularly where public resources intended for workers’ welfare are involved.

They described the alleged failure to distribute the rice to the TUC’s internal structures as inconsistent with the principles of workers’ solidarity and accountability that the labour movement is expected to uphold.

Allegations Emerge Amid NLC-TUC Disagreement Over Workers’ Welfare

The rice controversy comes amid renewed public disagreement between the NLC and TUC over the management of government interventions and the representation of workers’ interests.

As SaharaReporters reported on November 2, 2026, NLC President Joe Ajaero questioned the whereabouts of 90 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses reportedly allocated to the TUC by the Federal Government to ease transportation difficulties.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Ajaero asked why the buses allocated to the TUC were allegedly not being deployed to transport workers and members of the public.

“The government gave TUC 90 buses to ease the transportation problem in the country, gave us money to fuel it,” Ajaero said.

Questioning whether the buses were operating on any routes, he asked: “Actually, where are the routes that the CNG bus, the 90 buses from TUC, the routes they are plying, where are they? Or did they develop wings?”

Ajaero also criticised TUC President Festus Osifo, describing him as an “absentee president” and alleging that he lived in the United States and travelled to Nigeria mainly to attend meetings.

“He is an absentee president of TUC. He doesn’t live in Nigeria. He is watching us. He comes in from the U.S. to attend meetings and rush back,” Ajaero alleged.

The NLC president further claimed that Osifo had failed to attend meetings of institutions where he reportedly served on the board.

The disagreement between the two labour centres also concerns the Federal Government’s approval of a ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for public sector workers for six months, beginning in November 2026.

While the NLC defended the arrangement, the TUC rejected it, arguing that a temporary transport allowance would not adequately address workers’ economic difficulties. It called instead for an immediate salary increase and the implementation of outstanding agreements affecting workers.

The latest allegations concerning the rice allocation add another dimension to the questions being raised about how the TUC manages government-provided resources intended to benefit workers.

The sources who spoke to SaharaReporters said Toro should explain what happened to the 400 bags, why the TUC’s leadership structures and staff allegedly received none, and who eventually benefited from the rice.

They also called for transparency over the handling of the allocation, insisting that relief materials provided in the name of workers should be accounted for by the union.

However, efforts by SaharaReporters to obtain Toro’s reaction to the allegations were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls to his mobile phone nor responded to a text message sent to him.

SOURCE: SAHARA REPORTERS