NLC backs striking Osun workers, asks FG to release withheld LG funds

By Isa Isawade

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has thrown its weight behind striking workers in Osun State, calling on the Federal Government to immediately release the local government funds withheld from the state.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, from its National Headquarters and signed by Acting General Secretary Comrade Benson Upah, the Congress expressed solidarity with the striking workers and warned that the continued seizure of the funds was inflicting considerable damage on governance at the local government council level, with collateral implications for ordinary citizens.

“There is no justification whatsoever for the continued seizure of these funds other than to prove the point that the Federal Government is above the law,” the statement read. “However, we do not need this level of intimidation or arm-twisting in a democracy.”

The NLC stressed that the Federal Government cannot cherry-pick which decisions of the courts to obey and which it will ignore, insisting that obedience to judicial rulings is a cornerstone of democratic governance.

The Congress commended the Osun workers for conducting themselves with “utmost decorum” in prosecuting their action, and urged them to sustain the peaceful approach throughout the strike.

The statement was jointly endorsed by NLC President Joseph Ajaero, General Secretary Emmanuel Ugboaja, mni, and Treasurer Aliyu Haruna Kankara.

The strike by Osun State workers over the withheld local government funds has continued to heighten tensions, with the NLC’s intervention signalling that labour across the country is watching the situation closely.