By Tunde Olamilekan
Osun Council of Obas has lamented the continued withholding of local government allocations for the state, noting that the situation, they said, has paralyzed activities across Osun.
This was as the traditional rulers called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and resolve all matters obstructing the prompt payment of the allocations.
The monarchs made the appeal after a meeting at the Ile-Oodua Palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.
A statement by Oba Ogunwusi who is the Permanent Chairman of the Osun Council of Obas, after the meeting noted that the traditional institution and communities across the 30 Local Government Areas and the Area Office have been negatively impacted by nonpayment of the funds as and when due.
The statement reads, “This is a sequel to the decision of the statutory State Council of Obas’ meeting earlier held on Thursday, July 3rd, 2025.
“The council explained that traditional rulers, being natural leaders and closest to the people, are critical stakeholders in nation building, human development, and community engagement, structured to be empowered to perform optimally through a functioning local government administration.
“As purely apolitical fathers of the land, we are not interested in the politics, individual differences, or whatever that could be responsible for the seizure of the local government allocations. Our interest is to see a working society and functional local government for the benefit of all, especially the vulnerable individuals across our communities.
“It is an open secret that the traditional institutions across the country are being upheld through the five percent deductions from the Local Government allocation, and when this is not available, it will be almost impossible for us to serve our people adequately.
“It amazes us daily to see secretariats to have suddenly become inactive because the allocations meant for their smooth running have been withheld for several months, over issues that have nothing to do with the common people currently suffering the brunt. Our markets, community roads, and other responsibilities of the Local Government are suffering badly, and we, as traditional rulers, cannot afford to pretend like we do not see this rot.
“It is on this note that we call on Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR to intervene as father of the nation. We will be glad if Mr. President can hear the cries of common community dwellers across our farmlands and villages, suffering hugely from the total deactivation of local government activities for several months.
“Either political or judicial, we wish to implore Mr. President that resolving the crisis will benefit Osun State greatly especially her rural communities and also reenergize the traditional institution across the land to continue to compliment the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government in the prompt delivery of the “Renewed Hope Agenda”.
“Sequel to Mr President’s efforts towards assigning constitutional roles to traditional rulers across the country in an attempt to foster rural development and civil engagement, we are confident in his ability to resolve whatever might have been responsible for the blockade of Osun State local government allocations.”
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