Comrade Adamu Song
GENERAL SECRETARY June – Dec 2018
BIOGRAPHY OF COMRADE (ALHAJI) USMAN ADAMU SONG
FORMER GENERAL SECRETARY, NUPENG
Comrade Alhaji Usman Adamu Song is the Wakili Asibiliti of Adamawa and a distinguished former General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), who dedicated 26 years of meritorious service to the Union before voluntarily retiring in December 2019.
Alhaji Usman Adamu Song, was born on June 7, 1954, in the former North-Eastern State, now Adamawa State, Nigeria. He obtained his School Leaving Certificate from Aliyu Musdafa Secondary School, Yola, in 1973 and immediately joined the North-East Government as a Social Welfare Assistant. Following the state’s restructuring, he remained in service under the Gongola State Government, where he was promoted to Social Welfare Officer in 1975. During this period, he received specialized training in Policy and Planning at the North-Eastern State Staff Training Centre, Potiskum.
In pursuit of further education, he enrolled at Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri, earning a Diploma in Social Administration in 1983. In 1984, he joined the Federal Government as a Principal Assistant Registrar at the National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna, where he served until his resignation in 1991. While working there, he obtained a Higher Diploma from Ramat Polytechnic in 1988.
Comrade Usman Adamu Song joined the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on March 1, 1992, as an Organizing Secretary in the Kaduna Zone. Through dedication and meritorious service, he steadily rose through the ranks. Despite a delay in promotion due to the Union’s leadership crisis during the June 12 struggle, he was elevated to Senior Organizing Secretary in 2000 and Principal Organizing Secretary in 2002. In 2003, he was promoted to Assistant General Secretary and later obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Cooperative Studies from Kaduna Polytechnic in 2005. By 2008, he attained the position of Senior Assistant General Secretary and Head of Administration for the Kaduna Zone.
In 2010, his unwavering commitment to organizational and social development earned him the esteemed traditional title of Wakili Asibiti of Adamawa, conferred upon him by His Royal Majesty, the Lamido of Adamawa.
On March 1, 2013, Comrade Usman Adamu Song was transferred from the Kaduna Zonal Office of the Union to the National Secretariat, where he was promoted to the position of Deputy General Secretary (Administration/Operations). Following the retirement of Comrade Joseph Ogbebor, the erstwhile General Secretary, he was appointed as the substantive General Secretary of NUPENG on April 25, 2018.
Comrade Adamu Song is a seasoned labor technocrat, widely respected within the trade union movement for his high level of integrity, wisdom, and expertise in labor relations. His exceptional skills in organizing, negotiation, collective bargaining, conflict resolution, and policy formulation significantly contributed to the growth and stability of the Union during his time.
Having risen through the ranks to the highest administrative office, he left an indelible mark on NUPENG, particularly in advancing the interests of workers in both the formal and informal sectors of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Comrade Usman Adamu Song played a pivotal role in the successful celebration of the Union’s 40th Anniversary in Abuja in December 2018 and was instrumental in the conceptualization of the NUPENG Tower—the seven-story building National Secretariat for the Union that exists today.
His legacy of dedication, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the labor movement in Nigeria continues to inspire the staff and members of the Union till date.