…ALGON, APC assure of safety, cautions Gov. Adeleke against hindering end of strike
…Call for resumption a deliberate means of destabilising peace — NULGE
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
Osun State is on edge as opposing directives on the resumption of Local Government workers threaten to ignite fresh unrest on Monday.
Residents have appealed for restraint, calling on workers to prioritise safety as a long-running political crisis continues to paralyse local administration.
At the heart of the dispute is a seven-month strike and the move by allegedly reinstated All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors to reclaim their offices across the councils.
The state’s local government workforce is now divided, with two major factions issuing contradictory instructions. A breakaway group, the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers in Osun State, has called for an end to the strike and directed workers to return to duty on Monday.
The group’s coordinator, Comrade Adedayo Adekunle, argued that the earlier justification of insecurity was “no longer valid.”
In a strongly worded statement, Adekunle cautioned security agencies to remain vigilant, warning that any attack on returning workers “will be met with serious reprisal.”
His position received immediate backing from the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Osun State Chapter, which praised the workers for their courage, maturity, and renewed determination to serve.
ALGON Chairman, Hon. Abiodun Idowu, gave assurances of safety and cooperation with the duly elected APC chairmen, saying, “No one will face victimisation or harassment for resuming normal duties.”
However, the elected state leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), led by Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, advised members to disregard the resumption call, insisting that council secretariats remain unsafe.
Ogungbangbe condemned the pro-resumption group as agents of disruption allegedly serving the APC’s interests, describing them as “a peace-destroying group” bent on destabilising the state.
“The NULGE leadership is appealing to all our enlightened and well-informed members not to listen to these opportunists.
“Stay away from the offices until further instruction from the duly elected NULGE executives,” Ogungbangbe declared, adding that “those calling for resumption are exposing our members to danger.”
Meanwhile, the Osun State Chapter of the APC has weighed in, commending the workers ready to return to work while cautioning the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke against obstructing the move.
In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party referred to a directive from the Local Government Service Commission instructing workers to report to Abere on Monday to collect promotion letters.
The APC dismissed the directive as a “panic measure” and described it as “ill-conceived and unreasonable,” accusing the commission of trying to derail the planned resumption.
“When did it become customary for all promoted workers to collect their letters on the same day? They lose nothing if the exercise is spaced out,” the party queried, asserting that “the workers’ return is an idea whose time has come, and no force of obstruction can suppress it.”
In Obokun East LCDA, Chairman Hon. Owoeye Samuel Abiodun also appealed to workers to resume, assuring them of a safe and enabling work environment.
“I want to reassure our workers that their security and welfare remain our utmost concern,” he said, while commending former governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, for his “steadfast commitment to the rule of law.”
Similarly, the Chairman of Ife Central Local Government, Hon. Elugbaju Olayera, promised full protection for council workers expected to resume on Monday, 6 October 2025.
Expressing gratitude to the President for his “visionary leadership and pursuit of local government autonomy,” Olayera stated, “We are fully committed to providing a safe and conducive work environment.
“The security and well-being of our people remain paramount, and we will continue to act decisively to ensure their safety.”
As Monday approaches, local government workers remain trapped between threats of violence from rival factions and the political interests exploiting the crisis, leaving the atmosphere charged with uncertainty.