Fact-Check: Adeleke’s Claim That Osun Workers Have Never Gone on Strike Under His Administration Is False
Claim: Governor Ademola Adeleke claimed that workers in Osun State have not gone on strike under his administration, describing it as the first time in the history of the state. Verdict: False Full...
Claim: Governor Ademola Adeleke claimed that workers in Osun State have not gone on strike under his administration, describing it as the first time in the history of the state.
Verdict: False
Full Story
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, who is also the governorship candidate of the Accord Party in the coming off-cycle election being held in the state on August 15th, 2026, has made a claim that the workers in the state have not embarked on strike since he assumed office, describing the situation as record-breaking in the history of the state.
The governor, who was speaking on Tuesday, August 11th, 2026, during the Arise Townhall Meeting, was debunking the allegations of his intention to induce the voters with money to get re-elected to the office. In his speech, he insisted that his administration had paid the workers’ salaries and that he did not need to buy their votes to return to office because his salary payment had been consistent and unprecedented in the history of the state, ensuring his re-election.
“The workers you are talking about, I love them. Even my personal workers, I pay them as the months are ending; it is a sin if one does not pay the workers. Why do you think the workers love me? For the first time in the history of Osun State, our workers did not go on strike ever,” he said
Since he assumed office on November 27th, 2022, Governor Ademola Adeleke has always maintained that he has prioritised workers’ welfare, including the payment of salaries and other entitlements and maintaining cordial relations with labour unions.
Consequently, there is a need to check the veracity of the claim, as it is one of the electoral claims that could influence the information space as the off-cycle poll is fast approaching in Osun State.
Findings by NDRFactCheck revealed that the claim made by the Osun State Governor that workers did not embark on strike in his administration, which began in November 2022, is not true, and there is enough evidence that says otherwise.
Our investigation revealed that on November 22, 2023, members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Osun State chapter, declared an indefinite strike over the allegation of maladministration against the Osun Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo. However, there were multiple news reports that the union later suspended the strike after an agreement was reached among the Osun State Government, the management of the Osun State judiciary and JUSUN.
More importantly, the Osun State Government, on its official website acknowledged that the union was on strike through a statement issued in December by Mallam Olawale Rasheed
Spokesperson to the Governor, stating that the Governor met with the JUSUN members with the promise to resolve their problems.
However, in 2025, the media reported that the leadership of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria in Osun State had directed its members to immediately withdraw their services and refrain from reporting to work due to the concerned parties’ failure to intervene urgently in staff welfare and implement 2024/2025 promotions.
Another strike occurred during the current governor’s administration, when the Osun State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) withdrew its members from local government secretariats in February 2025.
While the NULGE strike was not directly related to the government’s failure to pay workers’ salaries, the union stated that the action was taken to prevent its members from becoming victims of a power struggle involving chairmen elected during the October 15, 2022, local government elections conducted under the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party in the state.
The strike eventually lasted 11 months, according to media reports, with activities at local government secretariats halted since February 17, 2025, when the union directed workers to withdraw their services.
Conclusion
Based on our findings, the NDRFactCheck found that available evidence contradicts the claim that workers had not gone on strike during Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration. Therefore, the claim is False.
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