Two Decades After Chima Ubani’s Death, Nigerians Still Struggle With His Unfinished Fight
TWENTY years after the tragic death of Comrade Chima Ubani, his ideals and the struggles he championed remain as urgent as ever.
Ubani, a fearless activist and labour leader, died in 2005 while leading a protest against a fuel price hike—from ₦50 to ₦65 per litre. At the time, his death was a rallying point for workers, civil society groups, and ordinary Nigerians united against what they saw as government’s anti-people policies.
But two decades later, the issues that defined his activism have only deepened.
The Rising Cost of Survival
In 2005, fuel at ₦65 per litre was the subject of national outrage. Today, the same commodity costs between ₦900 and ₦1,000 per litre. The naira, once trading at ₦132 to the dollar, now hovers near ₦1,500.
For many Nigerians, these figures translate into daily hardship. A 50kg bag of rice that cost ₦5,400 in 2005 now goes for about ₦70,000. Meanwhile, the national minimum wage has inched from ₦5,500 in Ubani’s time to just ₦70,000 today—an amount that barely scratches the surface of survival in today’s economy.
Jobs Lost, Hope Fading
Beyond inflation, unemployment has soared. Public sector jobs are scarce, often reserved for the privileged or sold off under the table. In the private sector, many companies have folded or relocated to neighbouring West African countries, leaving millions without work.
This economic collapse has pushed many youths into desperate alternatives: cybercrime, kidnapping, banditry, and other forms of insecurity that now dominate national life.
A Nation in Decline
Across nearly every human development index—life expectancy, infant mortality, poverty—Nigeria has regressed. The country, once full of hope for reform, has instead become notorious as the “poverty capital of the world.”
Meanwhile, the ruling elite continue to consolidate wealth and power, leaving citizens feeling excluded and betrayed.
Keeping Chima’s Legacy Alive
For activists like Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, President of the Centre for Change, Chima Ubani’s sacrifice is a reminder that the fight for a just and equitable Nigeria is far from over.
“Rescuing our nation is not just about honouring Chima,” she insists. “It is about ensuring his vision for fairness, accountability, and the welfare of the people does not die with him.”
As the 20th anniversary of his passing is marked, Ubani’s life and death invite a sobering reflection: Nigeria is still grappling with the very struggles that cost him his life.
The question now is whether today’s generation will take up the unfinished work of rescuing the nation—or allow the ideals he died for to fade away.
