NLC Backs Striking Osun Workers, Demands Release of Withheld LG Funds

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared solidarity with striking workers in Osun State, calling on the Federal Government to release statutory allocations withheld from the state’s 30 local government councils.

The national labour body described the continued withholding of the funds as unjustified, warning that the situation had weakened local government administration and affected the delivery of services to residents.

The NLC Acting General Secretary, Comrade Benson Upah, made the position known in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Upah said the non-release of the funds had caused considerable damage to governance at the local government level, with wider consequences for workers and communities.

The congress argued that government authorities must respect judicial decisions and cannot selectively obey court rulings.

“The Federal Government cannot cherry-pick which decisions of courts to obey and which it will not,” the statement said.

The NLC also criticised what it described as intimidation and arm-twisting in a democratic society, insisting that the withheld allocations should be released without further delay.

It commended Osun workers for maintaining peaceful conduct during the industrial action and urged them to sustain the approach.

The national body’s intervention follows a three-day sympathy strike declared by the Osun State Council of the NLC in support of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).

The strike began on November 9 and is scheduled to end at midnight on Wednesday, November 11, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government and the Osun State Government.

Osun NLC Chairman Christopher Arapasopo and Secretary Victor Amusan had said the action became necessary because the dispute over local government allocations remained unresolved.

The controversy is linked to the prolonged political and legal disagreement over control of Osun’s local councils following the February 2025 local government elections.

The dispute has involved competing claims over the legitimacy of council administrations and the accounts into which statutory allocations should be paid.

The labour movement has maintained that the continued funding uncertainty is affecting local government workers’ welfare and the ability of councils to meet their obligations.

The NLC’s latest statement adds national labour pressure to calls for a resolution of the dispute and the restoration of normal local government administration in the state.