Osun

How Osun Workers Consented To Modulated Salaries Under Aregbesola – Ex NLC President

ByYusuf Oketola

PublishedMarch 13, 2026

Pioneer President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, has clarified issues surrounding the modulated salary arrangement under the administration of former Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

He explained that the modulated salaries issue was a joint decision and agreement between the government and the state workers through a committee that comprised trade union leaders and government officials.

The committee, chaired by Comrade Sunmonu, was made up of the then Chief of Staff and former governor of the state, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola as the Vice Chairman and eight other cabinet members.

The veteran labour leader said out of two options given by the state government to either retrench one third of the civil servants and pay them off or pay half salaries to workers who fall under the category of level 7 and above, he said the union leaders opted for the latter.

Comrade Sunmonu, who recently launched his book, made the disclosure while appearing on a popular radio programme, Frank Talk, on Rave FM, Osogbo, where he was asked to clarify, among other issues, his roles and involvement in the Osun-modulated salary arrangement.

Recall that some politicians have introduced lots of twists to the issue and deployed it as an instrument of blackmail against Aregbesola’s administration.

“I didn’t propose the half salary arrangement. It was a joint decision between the workers and the government. The Governor sent me a letter that he wants to make me the chairman, at the demand of workers, of a committee to see to the problem relating to salaries.

“The workers asked for me because they have confidence in me. Before I accepted the offer, I consulted both the Osun State NLC and the then NLC President, Ayuba Wabba to inform them about the letter and they told me to accept it. Wabba said he believes that I will not betray Nigerian workers.

“There were eight commissioners including the Chief of Staff who later became Governor, Gboyega Oyetola. He was the Vice Chairman while I was the chairman. We also had eight trade union leaders. Aregbesola came and the government told us what used to come from Abuja (allocation) that it has now been reduced and that he had only two alternatives, either to reduce the strength of the public service by one third or level seven and above receive half salary until things improved and they will pay back.

“I askd the trade union leaders, do you accept to one third of your members to be retrenched and paid off because of the dwindling resources by the state government or you don’t want retrenchment of your workers and certain categories of your members from level seven and above be paid half of their salaries on the basis that they will be paid back when the financial situation improved .

“Contrary to the narratives being pushed in the public by some politicians, salaries of level one to six were not touched. They were paid full salaries. I asked the workers; do you accept retrenchment by one third or half salaries for senior civil servants and they opted for half salaries. It is what they accepted. It was not me. They said they do not want any of their members to be retrenched.

“Recall that a lot of state governments in the country during the period retrenched a lot of workers. Osun state did not do that on the basis of terms agreed by the trade union leaders that they didn’t want any of their member to be retrenched and it is not all the categories of workers that were affected by the half salaries,” he asserted.

Yusuf Oketola

Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.