The situation worsened in Osun State's local government system on Thursday when a group of local government employees, part of the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers of Osun State, urged striking council workers to return to their duties immediately.
The order conflicts with the stance of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, Osun State branch, which had directed staff to remain absent from work since February 17, 2025, after violent confrontations between supporters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress regarding council control.
Speaking to reporters in Osogbo, Adedayo Adekunle, the leader of the splinter group, criticized the state NULGE management for being indifferent by leaving employees without work for almost eight months.
Adekunle maintained that the council employees were neutral in politics and needed to go back to work.
He stated, "In order to prevent decline and potential job termination, worried local government employees are urging all loyal and lawful workers to return to their duties immediately."
We have information that a staff audit is scheduled for next week to determine the exact number of employees present in the office.
Furthermore, all staff must present at their respective council with their initial appointment letter, confirmation letter, and most recent promotion letter for smoother and accurate identification. In continuation of the aforementioned, we wish to assure our members that we remain neutral in political matters.
However, in a quick reply, Osun NULGE, via its Publicity Secretary, David Owoeye, rejected the order as false and cautioned its members against following it.
The statement said in part, "The union is utilizing this platform to notify our respected members that this information did not come from the elected state NULGE Executives led by Comrade Dr. Nathaniel Kehinde Ogungbangbe."
It was written to disrupt the state's peace, enabling our members to be killed and our numbers to decrease. Hence, the union urges all its members to view this document as the work of those who seek to destroy our future, which should be entirely rejected, and to avoid holding office until further instructions from the legitimately elected State NULGE leaders.
In the meantime, the Osun State House of Assembly has once more cautioned commercial banks, particularly the United Bank for Africa's Osogbo branch, from complying with unauthorized financial directives on local government accounts.
In a letter dated Thursday, October 2, 2025, and signed by the Speaker, Adewale Egbedun, the Assembly referred to as unconstitutional the alleged instructions that permitted the deduction of up to 15 percent from September allocations for certain local government councils, including Boluwaduro.
The House stated that according to the Osun State Guidelines for Local Government Administration and the Public Financial Management Law, 2020, only the Local Government Chairman and the Director of Administration and General Services are authorized to sign on behalf of the council's accounts.
The Speaker cautioned, "Any activity that violates this stance will result in full constitutional and legal repercussions, such as being called before the House, arrest warrants, and referrals to anti-corruption bodies. Your organization may also face being listed on a blacklist and losing the right to manage government accounts."
This week, the Assembly decided that any effort by unauthorized individuals to access local government funds would be considered as supporting financial fraud, emphasizing that the measure was implemented to protect community resources from misuse or misdirection.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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