The Nigeria Labour Congress has demanded the immediate release of withheld local government funds in Osun, declaring solidarity with workers protesting the seizure.

NLC made the demand in a statement by its acting general secretary, Benson Upah, on Tuesday.

Mr Upah said the continued withholding of the funds had undermined local government administration and caused considerable damage to governance, with wider implications.

“We express solidarity with the striking workers of Osun state in pursuit of the release of the withheld local government funds.

“We urge the federal government authorities to release those funds without further delay. 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,” he said.

He urged President Bola Tinubu’s government to respect court decisions, insisting that it could not selectively obey judicial pronouncements.

“The federal government cannot cherry-pick which decisions of courts to obey and which it will not,” he said.

Mr Upah condemned the alleged intimidation and arm-twisting, saying such actions had no place in a democratic society.

“However, we do not need this level of intimidation or arm-twisting in a democracy,” he said.

The NLC commended the striking workers for maintaining peaceful conduct throughout the industrial action and urged them to sustain the approach.

“We commend the Osun workers for conducting themselves with utmost decorum in prosecuting this action. We urge them to always keep it peacefully,” Mr Upah said.

(NAN)