The Osun Council of Obas has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in resolving issues obstructing the prompt release of local government allocations in the state.
The monarchs said the lingering situation has crippled activities across Osun.
Speaking after a meeting in Ile-Ife, the traditional rulers, hosted by their permanent chairman, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, lamented that communities across the 30 local government areas and the area office have been negatively affected by the prolonged delay in payments.
In a statement signed by Oba Ogunwusi, the Council stressed that traditional rulers, as natural leaders closest to the people, are critical stakeholders in nation-building and community development. They insisted that the institution must be strengthened through a functional local government system.
“As apolitical fathers of the land, we are not interested in the politics or individual differences responsible for the seizure of local government allocations. Our concern is to see a working society and functional councils that benefit all, especially the vulnerable,”.
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The monarchs expressed worry that traditional institutions are largely sustained by the statutory five percent deduction from local government allocations, noting that the prolonged non-payment makes it difficult to serve their people effectively.
They added that council secretariats across the state have become inactive, while community roads, markets, and other grassroots responsibilities are suffering.
“We cannot pretend not to see these rots. We therefore call on Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to intervene as father of the nation. We urge him to hear the cries of farmers and villagers who are the worst hit by this paralysis of local government administration”.
The Council further appealed to the President to resolve the crisis, whether political or judicial, in order to re-energize the traditional institution and enable it to complement the Federal Government in delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda.
They also expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s commitment to assigning constitutional roles to traditional rulers as part of efforts to deepen rural development and civic engagement across Nigeria.
