•Caution them to shelve plan to force health workers, teachers to embark on strike
By Adekunle Alao
Workers, under the aegis of the Osun Workers Union ( OWU), have chided Nigerian Labour Congress chairman (NLC), Comrade Christopher Arapasopo and Osun President of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, for throwing away decency and common-sense in their partisan support of the Osun State Government in the tussle over local government administration in the state, cautioning them to beat a retreat now before it is too late because their actions of supporting crass disobedience to the rule of law by the Osun State Government, are capable of affecting, in the long run, welfare of the workers they purport to represent.
This is just as the Union cautions the NLC and NULGE to shelve their plan of directing health workers and primary school teachers to embark on “solidarity strike” aimed at disrupting governance at the local government level.
The Union criticises the two labour leaders for personalising the labour movement for their selfish and pecuniary gains, saying they should endeavour to carry the entire executives of their unions along in decision making in other to better serve the workers.
OWU, in a statement on Thursday by its Organising Secretary, Comrade Gabriel Adeoye, explains that civil servants over the period have been known to be law-abiding and committed to the rule of law, holding that the open call of the two leaders for workers to flout the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered October 10, 2025 reinstating sacked Chairmen and Councilors removed by by Governor Ademola Adeleke on assumption of office in November 2022, is contempt of court punishable with imprisonment.
“Osun Workers Union (OWU) note with dismay the call of Comrade Christopher Arapasopo and Comrade Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, leaders of NLC and NULGE respectively, to workers operating in the local government to stay at home and not have anything to do with the reinstated political leaders in the local governments. As civil servants, we are mandated to co-operate with legally recognized Chairmen and Councilors in the local governments irrespective of the political party that produced them. In this instant case, the Attorney General of the Federal (AGF), who is the Chief Law Officer of the country, has clarified the Court of Appeal judgement of February 10, 2025, stating that the APC Chairmen and Councilors were duly elected and should return to office,” Adeoye explained.
He said further, “Unfortunately, both leaders of NLC and NULGE acting alone, without the imprimatur of other union executives, have made themselves lapdogs and megaphones of the government, playing chess with the welfare of the workers they claim to represent. Another dangerous angle to the activities of these labour leaders is their alleged plan to ground activities in primary schools and primary health centres following visitations of some reinstated chairmen of local government to health centres in their areas. The Government fears that allowing the said chairmen unfettered access to those public facilities may energise the public and workers’ confidence in the new heldsmen. We ask, what would become of the health and learning of our children if these two important sectors of the economy are mindlessly shut down on the altar of politics?”
Adeoye also said calling reinstated chairmen as imposters and looters as Ogungbangbe described them in his press statement is unbecoming of a union leader of his status.
“Even if Arapasopo and Ogungbangbe are card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), decency dictates they should hide their partisanship and not allow it affect the general interests of the workers they were elected to serve, “Osun Workers Union stated.
Recall Ogungbangbe in his address to workers said, “please do not allow them (reinstated chairmen) into the offices because we are not ready to be driven back to the APC era of stagnation and abject poverty.”
Osun Workers Union faulted Ogungbangbe’s statement, describing it as petty, unwitting and dangerously partisan.
“The statement attributed to Comrade Nathaniel Ogungbangbe is divisive and self-serving. It is capable of fetching unnecessary enmity for the entire workers. Even if he and his counterparts in the NLC now nurse resentment towards APC, it is on record that many labour leaders benefitted tremendously under the government of APC. Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, for example, got a car gift under the Administration of ex-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola,” Adeoye submitted.
