CSOs flay Adeleke govt over welfare of residents, distribution of palliatives

According to the Osun Civil Societies Coalition (OCSC), the Ademola Adeleke administration has no clear priorities and is disorganized when it comes to the welfare of the state’s citizens.

Osun OCSC Chairman Waheed Lawal and Secretary Emmanuel Olowu released a statement on Wednesday in which they blamed the state administration for failing to offer responsive governance in the face of economic hardships brought on by the elimination of fuel subsidy.

The group claimed that the state government did not care about its citizens or respond to their needs. They believe that state employees, in particular, deserve a more formalized form of palliative care.

Osun State “has gone into a deep sleep by having no meaningful plan for the people at a vital period like this in the history of the nation, while other states are showing empathy to their people and coming up with projects that reveal the leadership’s thoughts and goals for them.

While other states, like Kano, have reduced tuition at state-run universities by half and others have reduced working hours, Osun has done nothing and is waiting for the federal government to act.

Failure to provide for the state’s citizens out of state funds is a glaring indication of either a lack of planning or a lack of concern on the part of the state’s leadership.

“While we do not want to join issues with the government on what was received or not received from the federal government, a peep into the schedule of distribution of palliative received from the federal government calls for a lot of questions.”

Members of the distribution committee, not simply the organizations they represent, were requested to be made public by the civil society group to the state government.

There are 12 distinct categories that are mentioned in the distribution plan. We require information regarding the selection process used to determine which 12 organizations will serve as distribution points for the comfort measures.

Despite the government’s decision to omit names of coalition representatives and the like, we are confident in stating that no member of the civil societies alliance is serving on any distribution committee.

We demand and expect the government to provide a more substantial distribution of actual goods than merely the grains it provides.

To quote one commenter: “Osun State government should take a cue from other states and stop insulting our people by going back and forth on the issue of the palliatives.”

The state government had planned to begin distributing the palliatives on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, but later postponed the plan.

In Osun State, 12 groups per ward are slated to receive aid, for a total of 6,300 bags of rice.