Deborah Akinyosoye
Local Government Areas in Osun recorded a low turnout of workers on Monday as they resumed duty after an 11-month sit-at-home directive.
Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited some council areas in the state, report that only a few workers were seen on the councils’ premises.
NAN reports that heavy police presence was observed in all the local government councils visited.
When a NAN correspondent visited Osogbo Local Government Area at about 8:45 a.m., only a handful of workers were seen.
Similarly, at the Olorunda Local Government Secretariat, only about 30 workers were present on the council premises.
The Chairman of the local government, Mr Kunle Abdulmajid, while speaking with NAN, said he was happy that staff had resumed duty after almost 11 months of sitting at home.
Abdulmajid said the resumption of workers would revitalise developmental activities at the grassroots, which he noted had suffered greatly in the past 11 months.
“We are all from this state, and we are all working for the progress of the state.
“With the resumption of workers today, I am very sure that Osun will move forward,” he said.
At Ife Central Local Government, a few workers were also seen within the premises, with heavy security personnel stationed at the entrance and within the secretariat.
Workers were screened by police personnel at the entrance of the council before they were allowed in.
However, the workers declined to speak with the NAN correspondent when approached to share their experiences about the resumption.
They said they had received strict instructions not to speak with the press.
Similarly, at about 8:45 a.m. at the Ede North Local Government Secretariat, some workers were seen cleaning their offices, while others were chatting and exchanging greetings.
Mr Kunle Ajao, a staff member of the council, said workers were happy to resume duty after spending months at home doing nothing.
Ajao said workers were obligated to perform their duties without political influence, expressing optimism that the issues surrounding the local government crisis would be resolved.
The Chairman of Ede North Local Government, Mr Elliot Adeyemi, told NAN that the resumption of workers would enhance development across the state.
Adeyemi said the decision by workers to return to duty was in the overall interest of the people at the grassroots.
He added that the resumption would improve service delivery and help address grassroots challenges in communities across the state.
“I have been at work since Feb. 10, 2025; it was our workers who had been at home for the past 11 months that resumed today.
“The atmosphere in the local government is calm, and nobody is harassing or sending the workers away,” he said.
Adeyemi called for cooperation and collaboration among workers, saying synergy was needed for meaningful growth and development at the grassroots level.
NAN reports that local government administration in the state had been embroiled in a crisis following the Feb. 10 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Akure.
While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) maintained that the judgment did not reinstate the sacked All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmen and councillors elected in 2022, the APC insisted that the ruling restored them to office.
Consequently, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) directed local government workers to withdraw their services from Feb. 17, 2025, citing security concerns.
However, on Dec. 29, 2025, the national leadership of NULGE directed workers to resume duty.
Mr Nathaniel Ogungbangbe said that after extensive internal consultations, the union resolved that its members in Osun should resume work on Jan. 5, 2026.
The directive, however, drew opposition from the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in the state.
In a statement, the ALGON Chairman in Osun, Mr Samuel Abiodun, urged security agencies to hold Ogungbangbe responsible should there be any breach of peace or breakdown of law and order across the state’s local government areas.
The police in the state, however, warned politicians against disrupting the resumption of local government workers.
A statement by the Police Deputy Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Giwa-Alade Emmanuel, said the command had received credible intelligence on plans by some persons to disrupt the workers’ resumption.
Emmanuel said the command would not permit miscreants to undermine the peace and tranquillity that have been diligently sustained in the state.
(NAN)