By Adesewa Alonge
Civil society organisation, The Osun Masterminds, has called for an urgent round-table dialogue to resolve the controversies surrounding the management and disbursement of local government allocations in Osun State.
Recall that the federal government had withheld allocation due to councils in the state since February following imbroglio over control of the council secretariat between APC and PDP elected officials as NULGE withdraw services due to the impasse.
Speaking with newsmen in Osogbo on Monday after CBN released the fund to APC controlled council officials, TOM’s Executive Director, Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, expressed concern over effective management of the fund.
“It is unfortunate that this matter has generated so much tension among political actors, with each of the political tendencies prioritizing self-aggrandizement over the interests of our people,” the group said.
The organisation urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to demonstrate commitment to peaceful coexistence by convening a forum that would include state officials, local government leaders, political parties, civil society groups and community representatives.
Its also advised that outstanding legal issues on the matter be pursued in court rather than through “political brinkmanship and self-help” which, it said, had worsened the crisis and damaged Osun’s image.
“This is not about PDP or APC. This is about the survival of grassroots democracy in Osun. Local governments are the closest to the people, and denying them the resources to function effectively is tantamount to strangulating the State from below,” the group added.
The Osun Masterminds stressed that the interest of the people must remain paramount, warning that political rivalry should not be allowed to “destroy our common patrimony.”