The 2025 Workers’ Day celebration in Osun State was marred by division within the labour movement, as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and a faction of local government workers held parallel events on Thursday, sparked by the endorsement of Governor Ademola Adeleke for a second term.
The NLC, led by Comrade Chris Arapasopo, hosted its Workers’ Day rally at Fakunle Unity School, near the Osogbo Township Stadium, where Governor Adeleke was publicly endorsed for re-election. The endorsement was a major highlight of the celebration, which had been scheduled specifically for May 1st to coincide with the annual Labour Day.
However, in a show of dissent, another group, operating under the banner of The Concerned Association of Local Government Workers—a faction of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE)—held a separate May Day celebration in Olorunda Local Government Area, also in Osogbo.
Speaking to members of the dissident faction, Comrade Adedayo Adekunle criticised the NLC’s action, accusing its leadership of partisanship.
“If you are a union leader, you are supposed to be neutral,” he said. “Even the politicians have not declared their candidate for a second term, but civil servants went ahead and did so. The money given to them is working—they are collecting something on our behalf. Their paymaster is now dictating for them.”
The split highlights growing tensions within the labour movement in Osun State, as debates continue over the role of unions in political endorsements and the autonomy of workers’ organisations.
“We don’t belong to any political party, we should only support any party that represents the interests of our people.
“To us as a unionist, it is a very big opportunity for us to make a case for better things for our people. When there is competition, there will be better things for our people.”
