OSUN LABOUR CRISIS DEEPENS AS NLC GIVES FG SEVEN DAYS TO ACT, FIXES NOVEMBER DATES FOR STRIKE

By NaijaParrot | November 1, 2026 

Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria 

 The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Osun State Council, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve the continued withholding and disputed disbursement of statutory allocations meant for local government councils in the state. The Congress warned that failure to address the situation within the stipulated period would lead to a three-day sympathy strike in solidarity with affected local government workers, followed by peaceful picketing of United Bank for Africa (UBA) branches across Osun State. 

 The position was contained in a communiqué issued after a meeting of the NLC State Executive Council and signed by the state chairman, Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, in Osogbo on Saturday, October 31.

According to the communiqué, the labour organisation is concerned that the prolonged funding crisis has weakened the financial capacity of local government councils to perform their constitutional responsibilities and meet their obligations to workers. The Congress maintained that local government employees should not continue to bear the consequences of the unresolved dispute over council finances. 

 It warned that failure by the relevant authorities to meet its demands within seven days would leave the union with no alternative but to implement the industrial actions approved by its State Executive Council. The proposed measures are intended to demonstrate solidarity with affected local government workers and press for an immediate resolution of the funding controversy. 

 Providing details of its planned action, the NLC announced that the three-day sympathy strike would commence at midnight on Sunday, November 8, 2026, and end at midnight on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The union also announced that peaceful picketing of UBA branches across Osun State would begin on Thursday, November 12, if the dispute remained unresolved. 

 The Congress described the proposed measures as lawful industrial actions in accordance with the directives of its State Executive Council and applicable labour laws. It further disclosed that mobilisation was already underway, with support from the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and South-West councils. 

 The labour body acknowledged the intervention of Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, in ensuring that local government workers received their net salaries without deductions. However, the Congress insisted that such intervention could not serve as a permanent substitute for the regular release of statutory allocations due to local government councils. 

 According to the NLC, councils require access to their legally due funds to carry out their responsibilities, sustain administrative operations and fulfil their obligations to employees. The union therefore called for a lasting resolution rather than continued reliance on temporary interventions. 

The planned picketing of UBA branches across the state is another major aspect of the NLC’s proposed response. The Congress said the action would form part of its collective efforts to demand an end to what it described as the continued withholding and disputed disbursement of local government statutory allocations. The union, however, stressed that its proposed actions were not intended to create unnecessary hardship for residents of Osun State. 

 Rather, it described them as a labour response to the prolonged financial uncertainty and difficulties confronting local government workers. 

 While directing its demands primarily towards the Federal Government, the Congress also called on the Osun State Government to act urgently and responsibly towards resolving the crisis. It appealed to relevant stakeholders to support a transparent and enduring solution capable of restoring normalcy to the local government system and protecting workers’ welfare.  

The NLC reaffirmed its commitment to defending workers’ rights and promoting industrial peace, warning that sustainable labour harmony would remain difficult where workers’ welfare and legitimate entitlements were uncertain. With the November 8 strike commencement date approaching, attention will now be on whether the relevant authorities can reach a resolution before the proposed industrial action begins. 

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