The Osun State Government says it returned to the Supreme Court to challenge the seizure of local government allocations after the Federal Government allegedly failed to honour a negotiated agreement.
Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, told Punch on Sunday that Osun had earlier withdrawn a similar suit before the apex court following appeals for an amicable resolution, but was forced to return to court when the Federal Government defaulted.
“There was an agreement between the state and the Federal Government that if we withdrew the case, they would pay the money. That was the reason we withdrew the case, but they didn’t honour it,” Alimi said.
He explained that several appeals by traditional rulers, the Nigerian Bar Association, and other stakeholders had failed to resolve the impasse.
“We know that there is no law on their side; they are only using federal might. That is why we decided to go back to the Supreme Court for proper interpretation, so that the issue will be resolved and the salaries of workers who are concerned and the entitlements of the people of Osun State who are being deliberately denied will be paid,” he added.
Alimi dismissed suggestions that the withheld funds were tied to the Supreme Court’s judgment on local government autonomy, insisting that Osun was being singled out unfairly.
“The issue is not about local government autonomy. If they want to pay, let them pay it into the local government account. Signatories to the local government accounts are always public servants, not politicians. If they want to implement local government autonomy, it is not bad, but why should it be only in Osun? That is the question that people should ask,” he argued.
The commissioner said Governor Ademola Adeleke had been sourcing alternative funds to pay workers under the local government system since February to cushion the effect of the seized allocations.
“If the governor has not been finding other means to pay those whose salaries are under the local government since February, does that mean those people should starve to death? Where does the Federal Government derive the power to withhold allocation to other tiers of government?” Alimi queried.
Local council secretariats in Osun have remained shut since February 17, following a protracted tussle between chairmen elected on the platforms of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress over control of the local governments.
