A faction of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun on Saturday appealed to local government workers in the state to resume work in the interest of the public.

The faction, under the aegis of the Association of Concerned Local Government Staff, noted that the shutting of the council secretariats was subjecting the public to unnecessary hardship and denying them basic services.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, Adebayo Adekunle, the group’s coordinator, described the protracted withdrawal of services at the local governments as the height of irresponsibility.

“We call on all patriotic local government workers to resume back to work without further delay,” he said.

Mr Adekunle noted that with the shutting of the local government secretariats, pregnant women and children at the grassroots have been denied access to maternity and clinic services as well as drug stores for medical care.

He appealed to the leadership of NULGE in the state to ensure the immediate reopening of the council secretariats.

Mr Adekunle said the local government employees should not continue to be denied their monetary and career privileges following the withdrawal of services.

He lamented that for over a month, residents who need important documents from the councils have been unable to get them and access other services due to the withdrawal of services by workers.

”On our path, we are to serve all government legally in power. If it is All Progressives Congress(APC) today or the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) tomorrow, our business is public service delivery and not any political party in power.

”It is our duty, and we are ready to work with those who are already lawfully at the local government secretariats through a Court of Appeal judgment.

“And if tomorrow, the Supreme Court says otherwise or their tenure expires, we are still going to work with those who would be occupying the political offices in our local governments; that is our covenant,” he said.

Mr Adekunle said the group would liaise with security agencies to ensure workers were protected upon resumption.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and NULGE had, on February 16, directed local government workers in the state to withdraw their services, effective February 17.

In separate statements, the chairs of the two unions, Christopher Arapasopo and Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, said the directive was in response to the political tension following a Court of Appeal judgment.

While the PDP claimed that the February 10 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure, did not reinstate the sacked APC chairs and councillors elected in 2022, the APC insisted on their return to offices.

Crisis, however, erupted on February 17, when both parties were laying claim to local government secretariats across the state, with the police confirming six deaths.

(NAN)