Osun LG Crisis: Five Months After, Activities Remain Paralysed As Workers Stay Off Work
- CSO Calls For End To Crisis
FIVE months after the free-for-all local government crisis in Osun State which culminated in the killing of a former chairman of Irewole Local Government Area, Mr. Aderemi Abbas, and six others, activities at the council secretariats remain paralysed.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that supporters of the APC and PDP on February 17, 2025, unleashed mayhem on local government secretariats across the state following a contentious Court of Appeal ruling, which allegedly reinstated APC-elected local government chairmen and councillors.
During the deadly clash, supporters of both parties were killed, with many injured, in a bid to gain access to the local government secretariats.
On February 16, the President of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun State, Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, directed workers in council areas in Osun to stay off work, citing tension generated through the ‘controversial’ judgement.
Since the directive was given, local government workers have stayed away from work, leaving the councils’ operation paralysed.
Leadership of the two main parties has at different fora traded blame on who is responsible for the continued absence of workers in the local governments, with residents bearing the cost of the ongoing tussle.
The APC elected chairmen said the court had reinstated them and returned them to the council secretariats across the state.
But the state government and the PDP, however, held that the court did not rule in APC’s favour, as the Osun State Independent State Electoral Commission conducted another election on February 21, 2025, where a new set of LG officials emerged.
Even though the chairmen and councillors elected under the APC are currently occupying the secretariats, the workers have failed to resume work.
The local government workers disclosed that only directives from the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) can determine their resumption.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the absence of meaningful activities across the local governments is a cause of concern for residents of the state, particularly in the rural communities.
Residents in rural communities noted that they have been cut off from vital government services, including birth registration, immunisation, social support, and documentation.
Amidst the standoff, the Federal Government has withheld the allocations meant for local governments in Osun State with the state government lamenting that it has been using funds initially meant for its various developmental projects to pay different categories of workers who draw salaries from the local government allocation.
There was hope that the rumoured defection of Governor Ademola Adeleke to the APC would end the issue and return normalcy to local governments across the state; however, the move failed to materialize following the insistence of the leadership of the APC in Osun that they don’t want the governor in their party.
Reacting to the continued absence of workers at the local governments, the Coordinator, Centre for Social Justice and Public Protection (CSJPP), Akin Akanji said the state government must find a lasting solution to the issue.
Akanji, while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on Thursday, said the prolonged absence of workers at the council secretariats has and is still affecting the people.
He also urged the Federal Government to release the ‘withheld’ allocations, noting that Osun must not be an isolated case.
Akanji said, “This is getting out of hand. It has been more than 160 days now that the local government secretariats have been shut and workers are at home, even though they are collecting their salaries.
“These workers are not on strike but stay off work because of the directive issued by the leadership of their union. The way our political leaders do things in this country is embarrassing, to say the least. Imagine paying workers every month and allowing them to stay at home. Do the politicians really care about the people or themselves?
“It is high time the state government finds a solution to this abnormal situation. We cannot continue like that. Workers have to go back to work and perform their duties. Governor Adeleke should find a way to bring things back to normal. He is the state governor and everything falls at his table.
“I believe there is a solution to all these problems and I’m urging all stakeholders to consider people at the grassroots and end this continued show of lack of respect to the people.
“I also want to appeal to the federal government not to make Osun an isolated case. We shouldn’t play politics when the livelihood of Nigerians is involved. The federal government should release the withheld allocations and solve this issue once and for all”.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
