RismadarVoice Reporters
January 22, 2026
The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Ogun State has lamented what it described as undue interference by the state government in the administration of local governments, alleging continued refusal to implement local government autonomy.
The Union said it regretted that despite the Supreme Court judgment, the pronouncement of the National Assembly, and the clear directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Ogun State Government, under Governor Dapo Abiodun, has failed to grant financial and administrative autonomy to local governments.
NULGE stated that the situation has left local councils operating under poor conditions, with inadequate furniture, weak infrastructure and unmotivated workers, thereby negatively affecting service delivery at the grassroots.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the State Executive Council meeting of the union held in Abeokuta, and signed by the NULGE State President, Comrade Adefesobi Adebayo.
The Union further threatened to withdraw from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the state government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on the contributory pension scheme, accusing the government of failing to honour its commitments.
According to NULGE, contrary to the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, which clearly spells out the functions of local governments, the 20 local government councils in Ogun State are currently malfunctioning due to excessive state control.
The Union alleged that key sources of internally generated revenue for councils, including mobile advertising, motor park and garage tickets, and tenement rates, have been taken over by the state government, thereby depriving local governments of the resources needed to deliver essential services.
“Since the declaration of the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024, on direct allocation to local governments, the Ogun State Government has refused to implement the directive,” the communiqué stated, adding that this has weakened local governments as the third tier of government.
NULGE therefore demanded the immediate implementation of full local government autonomy in line with the Supreme Court judgment, the resolution of the National Assembly and the directive of President Tinubu.
The Union also warned that, in collaboration with organized labour, it would not hesitate to withdraw from the contributory pension agreement if the state government continues to disregard the terms of the signed MoU.
In addition, NULGE criticised the state government’s refusal to place Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) on a consolidated salary structure, similar to their counterparts in the state civil service.
The Union urged Governor Abiodun to reconsider its demands to boost workers’ morale, noting that neighbouring states such as Osun and Ondo have already implemented the consolidated salary structure for local government administrative heads.
