A pressure group in Osun State, Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens, has called for immediate release of local government allocations for the 30 local government areas in Osun.
The group made this call sequel to the Supreme Court judgement delivered on Friday, where the Apex Court mandated the federal government to immediately release the funds accrued to the council.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Osogbo, leaders of the group lamented damaged caused by the continued withholding of the council funds since February this year.
Spokesperson of the group, Sodiq Raufu, who read the statement on behalf of the group highlighted several sectors that have been badly affected by the closure of the Council secretariat.
He said, “Our investigation into the education sector revealed a dire situation. The School of Special Needs, which caters to students with unique needs such as blind, deaf, dumb and other similar conditions, is facing a significant challenge. With a funding ratio of 70:30 between local governments and the state government, the unavailability of the 70% from local governments has taken a toll on the welfare of the students, most of the students in the school are now malnourished. The school, which provides boarding facilities, is struggling to provide basic necessities like food, accommodation, and uniforms. The inability to pay debts to food vendors has further exacerbated the situation.
“We also confirm that the withheld local government fund has caused delay in the completion of the recruitment exercise of the teachers because the primary section of the schools are being funded and financed by the local governments funds while the secondary section is being funded by the state government, they claim they can’t do only secondary school recruitment while leaving the primary section as the state government are ready to finance the secondary school.
In the Health Sector, there is increased public health concerns in the state as Sanitation officers known as “Wolewole” are unable to work effectively due to the Local Government Tussle and especially lack of funds. This has led to deterioration in the public health space, as people dispose of refuse indiscriminately. The absence of sanitation officers to enforce regulations has made the situation even more challenging and the further closure of the councils doesn’t give the sanitation officers ability to perform their duties.
The agricultural sector’s performance directly affects food security in the state. With the sector struggling due to fund seizure, food prices may rise, and availability may decrease, exacerbating food insecurity. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Osun State has a food insecurity prevalence of over 30%. If the funds withheld by the federal Government is not released urgently for the use of Osun people, we may have a looming food security crises at hand.
Local governments play a crucial role in identifying Local Talents, maintaining and developing sports infrastructure, including Local stadiums and Local training facilities which is usually the closest to the people. The seizure of funds has led to a decline in the quality of these facilities, making it challenging for athletes to train and compete, Athletes require financial support to participate in competitions and training. The fund seizure has resulted in a lack of support for large category of athletes, making it difficult for them to compete at the national and international levels. furthermore, the lack of funding and support for sports development may lead to a brain drain, as talented athletes may seek better opportunities in other states or countries.”
Listing demends from the federal government, Raufu gave the federal government to ensure funds are released with just three days after the press briefing, adding failure may lead to confrontation.
“The CCNC warns that if the Federal Government fails to act and get this issue completely resolved in within 3 Days, we will be forced to adopt more drastic measures, including confrontation, to seek justice, this will be done Nationwide. We urge the Federal government to prioritize the welfare of the masses and release the withheld funds to prevent further suffering and they should not politicize further the local government issue in the Osun state.
“CCNC will always stand for justice and protect the rights of our people without looking back, we want to repeat that we will never be allowed to be a tools in the hand of any government, all we want is good governance, effective security and better employment that will aid good living conditions”, he concluded.
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