…. State, LGAs received N100bn in 7 Months
….Workers, Pensioners Yet to Receive January Wage Award
When fuel subsidy was removed last year by President Tinubu, Asiwaju was firm, direct and sincere about what the citizens should expect: that the immediate future would be tough and challenging. But he was quick to point that why citizens would feel the pains of the economic reality occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal, he promised that no citizen would be denied of the immediate gains of the new policy which would come to states in form of increased federal allocation and palliative support.
And as envisaged, since May when fuel subsidy was yanked off, federal allocation accruing to states in Nigeria has doubled.
For instance, the federal allocation that has come the way of Osun state in the last seven months, when no-subsidy regime began, is out of this world: Osun has got about N100bn, if the figure is to be put conservatively.
Since May, both the state government and 30 local governments within Osun have consistently received N14bn-N15bn every month as their allocation.
When ex-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola was in the saddle, the state used to receive N4bn-N6bn, for both the state and the LGAs. That time, the allocation to the state government would hover around N2bn- N2.5bn (net). But today, the revenue from the federal purse has gone up a great deal, thanks to the fuel subsidy removal.
Just last December, the state government received N7.7bn and the 30 LGAs received N7.5bn, to make it a total of N15.2bn.
In December, the two (2) local governments in Ilesa received N488m as their federal allocation, while the entire six (6) local government in Ijesa-land received N1.4bn. In Ijesaland, Oriade received N271m, Atakumosa East N224m, Atakumosa West N222m and Obokun N249m.
Similarly, the entire four (4) local governments in Ifeland received N1.1bn for the month under review: Ife East received N304m, Ife Central N275m, Ife North N283m and Ife South 258m.
Still on the allocation received in December, the two (2) local governments in Osogbo town ( Osogbo LG and Olorunda LG) received N536m. While Odo-Otin and Irewole received N298m and N268m respectively.
But despite this increased and huge allocation, poverty is palpable in the state as the current government of Senator Ademola Adeleke has not used the fund to positively impact on the people. The special N13.5bn subsidy grant, palliative and NG-CARES monies extended to the state in recent time have also been butchered without anything to show for it.
In the same vein, the Osun State Government received from the Federal Government 14,000 bags of 50kg rice some months ago and another 1,200 bags of 50 kg rice last December, all designed to cushion the effect of subsidy removal, but the state government has refused to be responsible with the distribution as many citizens could not get portion of it. Equally, the over 15,000 bags of 50kg rice given by the same Federal Government to 12 PDP federal legislators from the state to share among their constituents to soften the economic hardship in the land have also developed wings as these unproductive lawmakers could not fairly account for the consignments received by them.
These wicked politicains have made a simple task of giving palliative to the people a complicated assignment.
For 20 months, starting from April 2021, the Oyetola government, through its Osun Food Scheme, fed no fewer than 600,000 Osun citizens. No qualms. No complication. Each month, 5kg of essential food ration was distributed to 30,000 senior citizens and vulnerable population in the state.
If the handlers of the current government are not that intellectually endowed to drive a similar scheme, money could be set aside from the increased allocation to subsidize food for the struggling citizens. Basic food items could be bought in bulk and warehoused in each local government for periodic distribution at pocket friendly prices. By so doing, reliefs would come the way of the economically emasculated citizens. Osun people are finding it difficult to breathe, so the governor must act responsibly by rising to the occasion without any further delay.
A visit to any part of the state would confirm the general fear that if Governor Adeleke does not seek immediate help of decent professionals to manage his mediocre government out of the wood, the state may soon become a completely failed entity.
Already, Governor Adeleke, on account of his gross incompetence and warped policies, has made the state the poverty headquarters. Children of school-age are scattered in all major towns engaging in “fine-bara” and menial jobs when they are to be in school. The recent Out-of-school-children data is shocking. Adeleke, from 13% he met it, took the state back to 40% average rate of Aregbesola era. Since Adeleke sacked 1,500 teachers and began to give rotten food to school children, the Osun Out-of-school-children stat has increased. The staggering poverty in the state daily exacerbates the situation.
Against his avowal that he would treat workers and pensioners aright, Osun offers its workforce the most disgusting treatment. Besides sacking over 13,000 teachers, health and O’YES workers, Governor Adeleke is also owing staff of Osun Job Centre almost 14 months salary.
When other states are paying N35,000 wage award and also running free shuttle services for public workers, pensioners and the aged, Governor Adeleke has refused to provide buses for the teeming populace who groan under this economic difficulty. Meanwhile, the miserable N15,000 and N10,000 wage award which he was pressured to pay the state workers and pensioners in December has not been paid for the month of January even though the federal allocation for the month of January has been paid!
Even if the handlers of the government must conserve the public fund for the purpose of the 2026 governorship election, they should at least show some compassion to the dying populace who have run out of idea to eke out a living. It is ungodly that politicians in Abere, the seat of power, behave unperturbed while people cry and suffer in the midst of plenty. Governor Adeleke should act responsibly now, please.
