Accuse NULGE leadership of ‘sellout’ amid seven-month strike
Some staff of Osun State local government councils say they will ignore a national union directive and resume work on Monday, October 6, 2025, the group announced at a press briefing in Osogbo on Thursday.
Speaking at the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the group which calls itself the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers of Osun State, accused the leadership of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), led by Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, of a “sellout” and using the strike for personal gain.
Coordinator Adebayo Adekunle said Ogungbangbe “unilaterally” declared the industrial action, which he described as “useless” and responsible for the collapse of local administration across the state. “You journalists should do your findings, you will discover the assets he has gotten since this needless strike began,” Adekunle told reporters.
Adekunle said the concerned workers will collaborate with the reinstated council chairmen from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure local government services resume. He urged other council staff to return to duty on Monday, warning that a staff audit is planned and that absentee employees risk losing their jobs.
“Those who want to pay salaries will have to know those working with them. So, we are using this medium to inform all workers to resume next week Monday or lose their jobs,” he said, adding that workers must present their appointment letters, confirmation and promotion documents for the audit.
Adekunle described the seven-month strike as unjustified and harmful to workers’ wellbeing. “Many workers have been battling all sorts of ailments because they have been idle at home,” he said. “It is uncivilized for a union leader to resolve unilaterally to call a strike which has lasted for over seven months. The excuse of insecurity is no longer tenable.”
He argued that ongoing legal action should not prevent civil servants from performing their duties. “For the fact that legal actions are ongoing does not mean we should abscond from our primary assignment. When election tribunals are ongoing, civil servants do not down tools,” Adekunle said, stressing that the group is apolitical.
The coordinator also threatened strong reactions if the reinstated local government executives fail to keep promises. He accused Ogungbangbe’s leadership of insensitivity and of allowing political actors to hijack workers’ deductions for loyalty payments. “We say enough is enough,” Adekunle said.
Adekunle warned security agencies to be alert and said any violence against returning workers would be met with serious reprisals, noting the group’s patience had been exhausted.
He concluded by reminding journalists that the group will appear before the National Industrial Court on October 22, 2025, where it will press allegations relating to the March 4 NULGE election and other grievances.
