Oyo NULGE: Issuance of Stay-at-home Order To Members Over Resistant Attitudes of Illegal Caretaker Council Bosses to Leave Office

The Oyo State Chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has issued a stay at home order to its members following the leadership crisis rocking local government administration in the state.
A resolution signed by State Secretary of the union, Chucks M. Nwankwo, dated 25 January, 2020 and made available to newsmen in Ibadan after an emergency meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC) of NULGE stated that the directive takes effect from January 27, 2020 and that it affects all NULGE members in the local governments and local council development areas across the state.
The NULGE leadership, in the resolution read to newsmen after the emergency SEC and State Administrative Council (SAC) meetings held at its State Secretariat, stated that the decision became compulsory following the resistant attitudes of illegal caretaker local council bosses to vacate office for the democratically elected Local Council Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and Councillors led by Prince Ayodeji Abass Aleshinloye as it is not within the prerogatives of any Governor, including Engr Seyi Makinde to truncate the sacred mandate freely given by the electorates at third tier of government as it has been vouchsafed by the constitution and the recent judicial decision has amplified that.

The resolution directed all NULGE members in all the 33 local governments and 35 Local Council Development Areas to stay away from work until the issue of local government leadership crises is resolved.
The NULGE leadership explained that it took the position to prevent its members from becoming victims of violence and uncertainties in the coming days.
The body, rising from an emergency meeting on Saturday, hinged its directive on the rising tension and state of uncertainty in the State, noting that its members should stay-at-home to avoid being caught up in the tension and ongoing power tussles.
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 governments of Oyo State.
“Arising from the meeting, Local Government workers are hereby directed to stay away from work, effective from Monday January 27, 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 that of 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 that local government workers should stay at home was in the interest of their members and for their safety.
He said: “We reviewed the situation on ground as it unfolded so far and the probable outcomes of the various grandstanding from the various quarters.
“We believed that it is in the best interest of our members to stay away from work for now for the security and safety reasons.
“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 becomes very clearer”.
Titilola-Sodo added that the decision would give NULGE the opportunity to see the parties involved resolved the matter between themselves, saying only a positive resolution could make their members return to work.
He 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 places of work and leadership crises is resolved .”