Oyo LG impasse: NULGE directs members to stay away from office

THE State Executive Committee (SEC) of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Oyo State on Saturday directed all its members in all the 33 Local Government councils and 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) to stay away from offices as from Monday, January 27, until the issue of Local Government chairmanship is resolved in the state.

The resolution was arrived at after an emergency of the State Executive Council (SEC) and State Administrative Council (SAC) held at its state secretariat following a statement credited to the chairman of ALGON in Oyo State, Abass Aleshinloye, directing its members to resume back to work as duly elected chairmen of councils.

The union then released a press statement signed by the state secretary of the union, Chucks M. Nwankwo and dated 25 January 2020, immediately after the congress.

The statement reads: “This is to bring to the notice of our members i.e. workers in the Local Government Service of Oyo State, the decision of an emergency state executive council (SEC) meeting held today, 25 January 2020 on the unfolding leadership feud in the local government of Oyo State.

“Arising from the meeting, Local Government workers are hereby directed to stay away from work, effective from Monday, January 2020 until further notice. All offices and adjoining entrances should be under lock and key.

“Our decision is to foster peace and the assurance of safety and security in the workplace. This step is in the interest of our members as well as the general public and the good people of Oyo State.”

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, NULGE President, Oyo State chapter, Comrade Bayo Titilola-Sodo, said the decision is in the interest and safety of their members.

He said: “We reviewed the situation on the ground as it unfolded so far and the probable outcomes in the various grandstanding from the various quarters.

“We believed that it is in the best interest of our members to stay away from work before they turn our offices to a battleground.

“The situation as it concerns us is that we are also getting the news from the media and social media where sometimes letters are published and we don’t know their authenticity.

“But we have reasons to be apprehensive of security of our members should they go to work and have these people taking on one another.

“In fact, we have had a few cases some months ago when one party decided to go to the office relying on one authority or the other while another party was still occupying the same office. And this caused altercation as some of our people were beaten.

“So, today, we held a meeting in order to safeguard the lives and security of our people and tell them to stay away from all the offices until the weather is clearer, and we know exactly who we are working with.”

This according to Titilayo-Sodo will give them the opportunity to see the parties involved resolve the matter between themselves, saying only that could make their members return to work.

The president further affirmed that, “until our security is guaranteed in our places of work, no member of NULGE in Oyo State will be at their place of work by Monday morning until further notice. This will be until the unclear situation is cleared; until our security and safety are guaranteed in our place of work.”

It would be recalled that the ALGON Chairman in Oyo State, Honourable Abass Aleshinloye last week claimed that it already had a letter from the Inspector General of Police directing the State Commissioner of Police to take the appropriate steps about their reinstatement.

At the moment, Governor Seyi Makinde had appointed caretaker chairmen to the 33 Local Government councils and sole administrators to the 35 LCDAs.

The caretaker chairmen and sole administrators were screened by the Oyo State House of Assembly and were sworn-in by the state governor on Monday December 23, 2019.