20 die within 11 months strike, council workers warn against HLA takeover

As local council staff in Osun State prepare to resume work after an 11-month industrial action, a palpable sense of fear looms over the state.

This anxiety stems from the tragic events of February 17, 2025, when violent clashes between members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led to the death of Remi Abass, the former chairman of Irewole Local Council.

Abass was killed in a confrontation at the council secretariat in Ikire while attempting to fulfil a court order for his reinstatement.In the wake of this incident, Governor Ademola Adeleke swiftly urged residents, including politicians from both parties, to avoid local council secretariats to prevent further violence. He emphasised that only security personnel should manage these facilities during the period of uncertainty.

After sometime, the APC chairmen resumed and began controlling the affairs of the local council. After 11 months of the crisis, the state chairman of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Dr Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, directed the local government staff to resume work on January 5, citing the need for enhanced security across all local councils. He noted that the tenure of the APC chairmen officially expired in October 2025 and criticised the illegal occupation of public facilities by individuals disregarding the law.

“The forcible occupation of public facilities by these individuals is a direct violation of Section 1(2) of the 1999 Constitution,” Ogungbangbe stated.

In response to the NULGE’s call for resumption, Adeleke expressed optimism that this would signal a meaningful restart of services and social delivery at the grassroots level. He praised the police for their commitment to ensuring safety during this transition and reiterated the importance of maintaining law and order.

“A harmonious environment is necessary for the dividends of democracy to be delivered effectively,” he added.
The APC has commended the police for their proactive steps in restoring order as local government employees return. Kola Olabisi, the Director of Media and Information for the APC, expressed gratitude for the police’s role in maintaining peace since the court reinstated the APC leadership in local councils.

However, the situation is complicated. Yesterday, the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers, led by Adekunle Adedayo, asserted that they would continue working with the APC chairmen, who have remained in office despite the strike. Adedayo criticised the earlier strike led by Ogungbangbe, labelling it a politically-motivated manoeuvre that caused unnecessary hardships for staff, including loss of life.

The association of concerned local government workers disclosed that 20 staff lost their lives during the 11-month strike as a result ofillness and lack of social interaction.

Assuring that the list of the dead staff shall be made public in no distant time, Adedayo disclosed, in a press conference jointly addressed with the secretary, Akin Adepoju: “With total humility and sense of purpose, our association welcomes factional striking executives and staff back to the local government after 11 months of needless and politically motivated strike.

“We could recall the Ogungbangbe’s led executives deliberately put the whole Osun local councils into strike based on security reason to ensuring safety of lives which was later found out that he only volunteered himself to be used as a tool in the hands of politicians in which he was handsomely paid for the job done.”

NULGE had embarked on a strike on February 17, 2025, but in December 2025 directed its members to resume work on January 5, 2026, while also calling on HLAs to assume control of council administration.

Reacting, Adedayo said members of his faction had continued to work peacefully with the APC-led council executives, noting that their salaries and other entitlements had been paid promptly.