Traditional rulers in Osun State, under the aegis of the Osun Council of Obas, have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in resolving the lingering crisis stalling the release of Local Government (LG) allocations in the state.
The monarchs warned that the situation has crippled activities across the 30 local government areas and the Area Office, leaving traditional institutions and communities badly affected.
The Federal Government has withheld Osun’s LG funds since February following a dispute between the PDP and APC over control of council secretariats.
In a communiqué issued after a meeting at the Ile Oodua Palace of Ife, hosted by the Council’s permanent chairman, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the royal fathers lamented the toll of the impasse on governance and grassroots development.
“As purely apolitical fathers of the land, we are not interested in the politics or individual differences behind the seizure of allocations. Our concern is to see a functional local government system working for the benefit of all, especially the vulnerable in our communities,” the Obas said.
They stressed that the traditional institution, sustained partly through the statutory five percent deductions from LG allocations, had been severely constrained.
“It amazes us daily to see secretariats suddenly inactive because the funds meant for their smooth running have been withheld for months. Our markets, community roads, and other responsibilities of local government are suffering badly. As traditional rulers, we cannot pretend not to see this decay,” the Council noted.
Appealing directly to the President, they added:
“We call on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as father of the nation, to hear the cries of community dwellers across farmlands and villages, who are suffering from the total deactivation of LG activities. Whether political or judicial, we implore Mr. President to resolve this crisis for the benefit of Osun State and her rural communities.”
The monarchs further expressed confidence in Tinubu’s leadership, noting his recent push to assign constitutional roles to traditional rulers.
“Resolving the blockade of Osun LG allocations will not only revitalize rural development but also re-energize the traditional institution to continue complementing the Federal Government in delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda,” they added.
