Local government areas across Osun State recorded a low turnout of workers as staff resumed duty after an 11-month sit-at-home directive imposed by labour unions amid a prolonged local government crisis.
Findings showed that only a handful of workers reported for duty in several council secretariats, despite the official directive for resumption, with heavy security presence observed at all locations visited.
The resumption followed a directive issued by the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) after months of industrial action triggered by disputes arising from a Court of Appeal judgment on the control of local government councils in the state.
The development was observed on Monday, across various local government areas in Osogbo, Olorunda, Ife Central and Ede North, where police personnel screened workers at entrances and monitored activities within council premises.
Speaking with NAN, the Chairman of Olorunda Local Government, Kunle Abdulmajid, expressed satisfaction with the resumption, saying it would revive grassroots development that had stalled for months. “We are all from this state, and we are all working for the progress of the state. With the resumption of workers today, I am very sure that Osun will move forward,” he said.
At Ede North Local Government, the council chairman, Mr Elliot Adeyemi, said workers’ return would improve service delivery and enhance development at the grassroots.
“I have been at work since Feb. 10, 2025; it was our workers who had been at home for the past 11 months that resumed today. The atmosphere is calm, and nobody is harassing the workers,” Adeyemi said.
A staff member at the Ede North council, Kunle Ajao, said workers were happy to resume duty after months of inactivity, adding that employees were committed to performing their duties without political interference.
The resumption followed months of tension after the Court of Appeal judgment of February 10, 2025, which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) interpreted differently over the status of sacked council officials. The disagreement led the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and NULGE to direct workers to withdraw services from February 17, 2025, citing security concerns.
Although the directive to resume work, issued on December 29, 2025, drew opposition from the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Osun, the police warned against any attempt to disrupt the process, assuring that security agencies would maintain peace and order across the state’s local government areas.
