APC chieftain asks striking Osun LG workers to resume

Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has criticised the ongoing strike by local government workers in Osun state.

Speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Sunday, Oyintiloye said the industrial action has inflicted hardship on grassroots residents.

He called on workers to return to their posts to prevent a total collapse of local government administration.

He said the withdrawal of services had shut down clinics, primary healthcare centres, and marriage registries, leaving pregnant women, students, and job seekers stranded.

Oyintiloye noted that with elected council chairmen in place, there was no justification for workers to abandon their duties.

He urged the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Osun to remain apolitical and not allow themselves to be used to frustrate local government administration.

He advised council chairmen to collaborate with security agencies to ensure the safety of workers upon resumption, insisting that any security concerns had already been addressed.

Oyintiloye also commended a faction of NULGE, operating under the Association of Concerned Local Government Staff, for their willingness to resume work on Monday.

“Since both unions are supposed to be apolitical, they should uphold the tenets of their creation and which is to serve all government in power,” he said.

“The perceived crisis in council areas had been put under control by the security agencies, there is a peaceful atmosphere for workers to resume back to their duty posts.”

However, he warned the Osun state government against using “divide-and-rule tactics”, arguing that such an approach could destabilise local government administration.