By Francis Ezediuno
Africa-Press – Nigeria. Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has renewed his appeal to the Federal Government to unblock statutory allocations due to local governments in the state.
Governor Adeleke in his appeal cited a fresh report by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and the interventions of other civic stakeholders.
Speaking through a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed on Wednesday, the governor described the continuous withholding of the funds as unconstitutional and called for immediate compliance with the provisions of the law.
He said, “We are vindicated on all fronts on our rightful claim on the local government crisis.
“I must particularly commend the NBA leadership for setting up a committee to investigate the Osun local government question and for demonstrating the rare courage to release the report which declared that there is no legal basis for the continuous withholding of Osun local government allocations.”
The governor expressed appreciation to the Council of Obas in Osun and other community organisations for lending their voices to the matter.
He said their interventions underscored the broad consensus that the state was being unfairly treated.
According to Adeleke, “the NBA report had clarified that his administration was not responsible for the removal of the All Progressives Congress (APC) council chairmen in 2022. He emphasised that the action was taken following a court order.
“The court of law ordered the sack of the former council chairmen. It was not a decision of my administration. The NBA has confirmed this and has dispelled false claims against our government.”
The governor stressed that the position of the NBA reinforced his administration’s commitment to the rule of law.
He insisted that the matter was not political but a question of constitutional compliance.
“I commend the NBA for affirming that the state government acted within the law. This is not about politics but about respect for the constitution. We are only insisting on what is legally ours,” he stated.
While arguing that the continued blocking of the funds was hampering the ability of local governments to deliver services to the grassroots, Governor Adeleke urged the Federal Government to act swiftly in releasing the allocations.
“The resources are meant for our people at the local government level. Withholding them is denying the masses access to development,” he noted.
The governor who recalled that several other bodies, including the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers, had appealed for a resolution of the crisis in favour of the state said such appeals should not be ignored.
“Traditional rulers have spoken, civil society has spoken, and now the NBA has spoken. The Federal Government must listen to these voices,” he said.
Adeleke pledged to continue engaging stakeholders across political, professional and traditional lines in order to secure a fair outcome for Osun. He said his administration would not relent until justice was achieved.
He also reaffirmed his government’s dedication to transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. He said any allocation released would be used strictly for the benefit of the people.
“Our government will continue to be accountable. We are committed to ensuring that every naira received is used in the interest of our people,” Adeleke assured.
The governor dismissed suggestions that the controversy was an attack on his administration. Instead, he described it as a struggle for fairness.
“This is not about Governor Adeleke. This is about Osun people and their rightful share of national resources,” he explained.
But the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, faulted the NBA over its intervention in the matter.
Reacting in a statement signed by its chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, the APC described the NBA’s intervention as needless and a disappointment.
The party accused the NBA of turning itself into a law court.
“It is disheartening, worrisome and shameful that the NBA, a professional body that has a burden of integrity hanging on its neck could have the shameless audacity to poke its nose in a matter that doesn’t concern it in Osun State,” the statement read.
The party further argued, “In the first instance, the NBA is not a party to the suit. They have no locus to review it. The NBA is not the Supreme Court of Nigeria. They have no jurisdiction to review or even interpret the judgement of the Court of Appeal. There is nothing in law called ‘tacit recognition’ which the NBA has, disingenuously, invented to justify its pecuniary consideration.”
The APC said NBA’s opinion could not override the Constitution, warning that its intervention was capable of misleading the public.
It urged the association’s leadership to desist from using the name of the noble profession to trade.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria
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