Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has commended the state chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) for their decision to resume duties on Monday, 5 January 2026, describing the move as “patriotic and people-oriented.”
Governor Adeleke said the return of local government workers represents a “positive development for grassroots governance” and highlights the labour movement’s responsiveness to the “yearnings and aspirations of the people.” He expressed optimism that the resumption will mark a fresh start for activated services and social delivery at the grassroots level.
Describing local governance as the most effective means of reaching residents, Adeleke said the labour leaders had shown confidence in responsible leadership.
He also praised police authorities for ensuring security at council secretariats ahead of the resumption.
“As much as I’m commending the NULGE leadership, I must also appreciate the Inspector General of Police, the Assistant Inspector General of Police for Zone 11 and the Osun State Commissioner of Police for their commitment to provide security cover for the lawful resumption of activities at the various council secretariats,” the governor stated in a Saturday communiqué signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
“The police command has acted responsibly to prevent anarchy and violence being plotted by some elements.
The prompt action of the police has nipped in the bud any untoward happening across our secretariats. We hope to see the Command following through its directive against the evil plot to disrupt workers’ resumption of duty,” Adeleke added.
Transitioning to broader governance issues, the governor addressed the question of local government autonomy, stressing the importance of rule of law and due process.
“Our government is not opposed to local government autonomy. The presidential decision on local autonomy has good intentions of devolving good governance to the local level.
We support it. What we, however, advocate is that rule of law and due process must never be sacrificed on the altar of political shenanigans.
The constitution and the laws on the local government system must be complied with in financial, administrative and other matters. The rightfully elected leadership of the local government should also not be denied their legitimate rights to exercise their mandate. This has been our position,” the statement read.
Concluding his remarks, Adeleke welcomed the workers’ return and emphasised the role of peace and unity in delivering the dividends of democracy. “We welcome the workers’ resumption of duties. We commend the police and other security agencies for keeping our state peaceful. Only under harmonious conditions can the dividends of democracy be sufficiently delivered. We need peace, unity and adherence to democratic principles,” he said.
The resumption follows almost 11 months of industrial action by NULGE, which ended last Monday. The union’s president, Dr Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, outlined certain security requests for the resumption, including adequate deployment to all 30 local government councils, area offices and LCDAs to prevent “intimidation, harassment, or disruption of lawful duties” and to prevent “illegal occupation of these secretariats by unauthorised persons”.
The Osun State Police Command had earlier warned that unscrupulous politicians planning to disrupt the resumption would face decisive action.
The state Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Giwa-Alade, stated that “non-employees of LGA must not be seen near the premises of the council secretariats across the state,” while security personnel were directed to “deal firmly and professionally with anyone attempting to incite unrest or cause disturbances.”
CP Ibrahim Gotan reassured residents of the state of the police’s “unwavering commitment to the protection of lives and property”, noting that personnel would continue to discharge their constitutional duties with “vigilance and professionalism”. (Guardian)
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