OSUN, Nigeria – Government activities across Osun State were disrupted on Monday as workers in public institutions joined a three-day Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strike over the dispute surrounding statutory allocations to local governments.
The industrial action led to the closure of the Osun State Government Secretariat and the State House of Assembly in Osogbo, with their gates locked and official activities suspended. The Olorunda and Osogbo Local Government Secretariats were also shut, while public school teachers joined the strike, forcing students in parts of Osogbo to return home.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the state NLC Chairman, Christopher Arapasopo, and Secretary, Victor Amusan, said the decision followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government and the Osun State Government over the continued withholding of statutory local government allocations.
The labour leaders said the dispute remained unresolved despite efforts to address the unions’ concerns. “The issues raised over the local government allocations remained unresolved,” the statement said. The congress said it had exhausted all reasonable avenues before declaring the strike, adding that the decision was in line with resolutions reached at an emergency meeting of its State Executive Council on October 28.
The action is scheduled to last until midnight on Wednesday, November 11, according to the union’s earlier directive. The disruption has affected government offices, local government administration and public education in the areas visited, although the full extent of the strike’s impact across the state was not immediately established. The Federal Government and the Osun State Government are yet to be quoted responding to the latest developments in the information available for this report.
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