Osun monarchs urge Tinubu to intervene over withheld LG allocations
Traditional rulers across Osun State have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the prolonged withholding of local government allocations for the state.
The monarchs, under the aegis of the Osun Council of Obas, said the development had paralysed activities at the grassroots level and left communities struggling.
The call was made after a meeting held at the Ile Oodua Palace, Ile-Ife, where the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, hosted the council as its permanent chairman.
The Ooni, speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers through a communiqué on Tuesday said: “The traditional institution and communities across the 30 Local Government Areas and the Area Office have been negatively impacted by the non-payment of the funds as and when due.”
The council recalled that the matter had earlier been discussed at the statutory State Council of Obas’ meeting of July 3, 2025, where concerns were raised about the worsening impact of the withheld allocations.
In their communiqué, the monarchs stressed the role of traditional rulers as natural leaders and closest to the people, insisting that their effectiveness depends on the functionality of local government administrations.
“As purely apolitical fathers of the land, we are not interested in the politics, individual differences or whatever that could be responsible for the seizure of the local government allocations.
“Our interest is to see a working society and functional local government for the benefit of all, especially the vulnerable individuals across our communities,” the communiqué stated.
The monarchs explained that their institutions are sustained through the five percent deductions from local government allocations.
They warned that without this, it was almost impossible to serve their communities adequately.
“It amazes us daily to see secretariats to have suddenly become inactive because the allocations meant for their smooth running have been withheld for several months,” the statement added.
The council lamented that essential responsibilities of the local governments, such as maintaining markets and community roads, were now suffering, with ordinary citizens bearing the brunt.
“We call on Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to intervene as father of the nation. We will be glad if Mr President can hear the cries of common community dwellers across our farmlands and villages, suffering hugely from the total deactivation of local government activities for several months,” the monarch’s appealed.
The traditional rulers urged the president to resolve the matter either political or judicial, stressing that such action would greatly benefit Osun State, particularly its rural communities.
They expressed confidence that resolving the crisis would also, “reenergise the traditional institution across the land to continue to complement the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government in the prompt delivery of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
The monarchs noted that the president’s ongoing efforts to assign constitutional roles to traditional rulers across Nigeria showed his commitment to rural development and civil engagement.
Osun monarchs urge Tinubu to intervene over withheld LG allocations
