Osun State Workers Begin Three-Day Sympathy Strike Over Funding

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) directed affiliate unions in Osun State to begin a three-day sympathy strike from midnight Sunday, November 8, to midnight Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The industrial action supports the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in demanding the release of statutory allocations for local government areas, which have been withheld since February 2025.

Government offices and public schools in Osun State shut down on Monday as the strike took effect. In Osogbo, workers locked the gates to the Government Secretariat, the State House of Assembly, and the Olorunda and Osogbo Local Government Secretariats, while teachers sent students home. The NLC initiated the walkout after a seven-day ultimatum issued to both the Federal Government and the Osun State Government went unresolved.

Labour leaders are demanding an end to payments into disputed bank accounts and the protection of salaries, pensions, and gratuities. The unions also plan to picket financial institutions involved in the withheld funds. In response to the impasse, labour leaders stated they can no longer guarantee the support of workers and pensioners for President Bola Tinubu's re-election, asserting that such support must be earned through policies that protect worker welfare.