The Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has urged its members to disregard a directive from a factional group calling for the resumption of work across council areas in the state.
Dr. Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, the state president of NULGE, issued the instruction following an announcement by a faction identified as the Association of Concerned Local Government Staff.
The faction had directed local government workers to immediately return to their duty posts, despite an ongoing directive from the state’s Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that has kept workers off duty since February 17, 2025.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Saturday, the coordinator of the faction, Adedayo Adekunle, criticized the continued closure of council secretariats, labeling it illegal. He accused Ogungbangbe of manipulating his way into a second term in office, despite allegedly claiming that local government service was unsafe for workers.
“Despite his claim that local government service is no longer safe for staff to work, he opened local governments for the purpose of conducting his second-term election, where he succeeded in manipulating himself to win,” Adekunle stated.
He further alleged that while no security threats were recorded during the elections, maternity centers remained closed, putting women and children at risk.
"Yet, all maternity centers were locked against women and children, sentencing them to death due to the reckless shutdown of the local government service in Osun State by this desperate politician in the garb of a unionist," he said.
In response, Ogungbangbe dismissed the breakaway group as illegitimate, alleging that it was being sponsored by political interests to cause division among workers.
He linked the ongoing crisis to the return of local government chairmen and councillors elected in the October 15, 2022 elections. These officials resumed duty after securing a favorable judgment at the Court of Appeal in Akure, a move resisted by the state government.
He refuted claims that health facilities were closed, stating, “All primary healthcare centers in the state are operational. Maternity and health facilities in every local government are working. We didn’t use local government secretariats for NULGE elections; a designated venue was used instead.”
Ogungbangbe accused Adekunle of spreading misinformation, emphasizing that workers were asked to stay home for their safety.
“Imagine if local government workers were on duty on the day when six people died due to the crisis at the councils. If I directed my members to stay at home to prevent loss of life, have I done anything wrong?” he queried.
Challenging the legality of the Association of Concerned Local Government Staff, Ogungbangbe asserted that the faction had no legal standing and was not recognized by NULGE’s national body or the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“There is no union called Concerned LG Workers in Osun State. Let them provide their certificate of incorporation. The NLC and NULGE’s national leadership have written to the state government affirming their support for our decision,” he said.
He accused the faction of working against the collective interest of local government employees, stating that no genuine worker would heed their directive.
“No member of the local government in Osun State will follow this baseless instruction because they are not registered. Their allegations that I personally supervised the closure of health facilities are complete falsehoods,” Ogungbangbe declared.
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