Osun group urges striking LG workers to resume work, as NULGE kicks

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Association of Concerned Local Government Workers of Osun State has called on council staff to resume duty on Monday.

At a press briefing in Osogbo on Thursday, the coordinator of the group, Adedayo Adekunle, described the over seven-month strike declared by the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) under the leadership of Nathaniel Ogungbangbe as “uncivilized and unwarranted,” insisting that insecurity was no longer a valid excuse to abandon offices.

He said, “What is happening right here in Osun is a misnomer in the history of NULGE as a body. This is tantamount to wickedness, insensitivity, and cowardice on the part of Ogungbangbe’s leadership. For how long can he sustain this unwarranted strike? It is uncivilized for a union leader to unilaterally call a strike which has lasted for over seven months. The excuse of insecurity is no longer tenable. We are the landlords of local government secretariats; it is unheard of that landlords vacate their property for pests and animals to occupy.”

The association further called on “patriotic and law-abiding” local government workers to resume duty immediately in order to avoid job loss and degradation.

Adekunle disclosed that a staff audit has been scheduled for next week to ascertain the actual number of workers in office. He directed staff to report to their mother councils with their first appointment letter, confirmation letter, and last promotion letter for proper identification.

But in a swift reaction, the Osun State chapter of NULGE dismissed the call for resumption, describing it as the handiwork of a political party aimed at causing commotion and disorganizing the union in the state.

The union, in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Comrade David Olalekan Owoeye, said the directive did not emanate from the state executives or the national leadership of NULGE.

NULGE further urged its members to ignore the call and remain at home until a directive is issued by the “real elected executives.”