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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Anxiety and apprehension has draped Osun State as local government staff resume work after an 11-month strike.
Tension stems from the tragic events of February 17, 2025, when violent clashes between members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led to the death of Remi Abass, the former chairman of Irewole Local Government. Abass was killed in a confrontation at the council secretariat in Ikire while attempting to fulfill a court order for his reinstatement.
In the wake of this incident, Governor Ademola Adeleke had urged residents, including politicians from both parties, to avoid local government secretariats to prevent further violence. He emphasised that only security personnel should manage these facilities during this period of uncertainty.
After some time, the APC chairmen resumed and have been controlling affairs of the local government. After 11-month of crisis, Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, the state president of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), directed local government staff to resume work on January 5, citing the need for enhanced security across all local government areas. He noted that the tenure of the APC chairmen had officially expired in October 2025 and criticized the illegal occupation of public facilities by individuals disregarding the law.
“The forcible occupation of public facilities by these individuals is a direct violation of Section 1(2) of the 1999 Constitution,” Ogungbangbe stated.
In response to the NULGE’s call for resumption, Governor Adeleke expressed optimism that this would signal a meaningful restart of services and social delivery at the grassroots level. He praised the police for their commitment to ensuring safety during this transition and reiterated the importance of maintaining law and order.
“A harmonious environment is necessary for the dividends of democracy to be delivered effectively,” he added.
The APC has commended the police for their proactive steps in restoring order as local government employees return. Kola Olabisi, the Director of Media and Information for the APC, expressed gratitude for the police’s role in maintaining peace since the court reinstated the APC leadership in local councils.
However, the situation is complicated. On Sunday, the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers, led by Adekunle Adedayo, asserted that they would continue working with the APC chairmen, who have remained in office despite the strike. Adedayo criticized the earlier strike led by Ogungbangbe, labeling it a politically motivated maneuver that caused unnecessary hardships for staff, including loss of life.
“The prolonged strike had severe consequences. Many staff suffered health issues, with reports of 20 deaths during this period.”
Adedayo further called for clarity, warning against unauthorized individuals claiming to represent NULGE, as the tenure of the current executives expired in May 2025. Adedayo urged compliance with established union regulations regarding the filling of vacant positions.
With both APC and PDP chairmen planning to return to their roles, the question remains: who will take over the control of local government between the opposing camps to ensure effective governance at the local level? The resumption of local government staff, shrouded in a mixture of hope and trepidation, marks a significant turning point in Osun’s political landscape.
Meanwhile, the association of concerned local government workers has disclosed that 20 staff lost their lives during the 11-month strike as a result of ailment and lack of social interaction. Assuring that the list of the dead staff shall be made public in no distant time, the state chairman of the group, Adedayo, disclosed this in Osogbo, yesterday, during a press conference jointly addressed with the secretary, Akin Adepoju.
“With total humility and sense of purpose, our association welcomes fractional striking executives and staff back to the local government after 11 month of needless and politically motivated strike.
“We could recall the Ogungbangbe’s led executives deliberately put the whole Osun Local Government into strike based on security reason to ensuring safety of lives which was later found out that he only volunteered himself to be used as a tool in the hands of politicians in which he was handsomely paid for the job done.
“Lo and behold, almost 20 staff lost their lives during these concocted action due to one ailment or the other or lack of social interaction. The list of the dead staff shall be made public in no distant time,” the group said.
Noting that the group has been working with the legally reinstated political functionaries at various Local Government areas, the group appreciated security agencies in the state for securing lives and property of their teaming members, saying your level of commitment to duty and total adherence to implementation of lawful judgment of competent court of jurisdiction is highly commendable.
“We, concerned association are bringing to the hearing of the political functionaries headed by the executive chairman in different council areas that on no condition should any staff of Osun State Local Governments parade him or herself as NUGLE branch executives due to the fact that their constitutional tenure has expired since month of May, 2025 and three months constitutional provision has also expired. Therefore, preparation for the vacant positions should begin as demanded by our union constitution.
“Our members are sincerely and eternally grateful to the APC ALGON led executives for the prompt payments of our salary and other benefits after our names were unjustly expunged from the payroll of PDP led state government because of our undaunted position on implementation of local government autonomy.
“However, as long as our welfare is important to your government we are solidly behind your administration. Sequel to the paragraph 8 of press statement released by Ogungbangbe’s led union on Osun NULGE resumption of work on January 5th 2026, which states as follow “running of local government secretariats: The 30 Local Government council areas offices and LCDAs secretariats can be effectively run without any chairmen/councilors but by the Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA), with Director of Administration and General Services (DAGS), and Director of Finance serving as the duly recognized signatories to the Local Government accounts under the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law 2025.”
“Above quoted paragraph was a statement of fallacy in the eyes of the law, relevant Supreme Court judgments on Local Government autonomy and subsisting judicial precedence were not in line with the above quoted paragraph.
“Nigeria Constitution and Supreme Court pronouncements supersede any law made by any House of Assembly in any State of the Federation, with the relevant Supreme Court judgments on financial autonomy, any Local Government administration under the headship of caretaker committees, Sole Administrators or Career Officers Control are not entitled to receive allocation from Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC),” the group said.
They advised the returning staff to comport themselves within the ambit of the law, saying “what should be paramount to us is how to utilize the autonomy given, to better-off the lives of the grass-root people, our career, and development of local communities.”
