The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the unconditional and immediate release of all withheld local government allocation to the lawfully elected governments in Osun State.
The body also asked the Attorney-General to retract all “unlawful directives” to federal financial institutions and cease further politicization of Local Government autonomy.
This was contained in a communique issued after the meeting of the NLC’s National Administrative Council (NAC) and the Central Working Committee held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Signed by Comrade Joe Ajaero, the President of NLC and Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, the General Secretary, the body condemned the partisan intervention, saying it had undermined grassroots governance, deprived workers of pay, and sabotaged key services, including healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
Part of the communique reads, “The CWC reaffirmed its position in support of genuine local government autonomy as a cornerstone for grassroots development, accountability, and democratic participation.
“The Congress called on all stakeholders engaged in the constitutional review process to enshrine provisions that safeguard the financial and administrative independence of local governments.
“It reviewed with grave concern the deliberate withholding and diversion of statutory allocations due to the democratically elected Local Government Councils in Osun State, orchestrated by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation in collusion with the Minister of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“This act constitutes a blatant violation of the Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, and the judgment of the Court of Appeal affirming the legitimacy of the current Local Government leadership in Osun State.
“The CWC condemns in strongest terms this partisan interference, which undermines grassroots governance, deprives workers of their wages, and sabotages essential services such as primary healthcare, education, and infrastructure”.
NLC, however, warned that failure to comply in a fair amount of time would prompt action to defend workers’ rights and enforce the law.
DAILY POST reports that the Osun Local Government crisis stems from a prolonged stalemate between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the legitimacy of council officials.
This led to both parties claiming the 30 council secretariats and the Area Office, leading to industrial action by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) since February and violent clashes between APC and PDP supporters.