By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

A coalition of Youth Associations in Osun State has disclosed that the withheld local government council fund is a direct punishment of the residents of the state instead of politicians.

Speaking with newsmen in Osogbo on Thursday the impact of the seized funds, the coalition spokesperson, Babawale Jamiu said governance at the grassroots level has been grounded since the seizure started.

He lamented that withholding the local government fund for six months is not only an abuse of governance but also inimical to democratic governance, calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the situation for the sake of the teeming populace in the state.

His words, “Your Excellency sir, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for 185 days, our Local Government allocations have been trapped in Abuja, and with every passing day our fear increases that our schools will be weaken, our hospitals will fail, our roads will die, and our dreams will dim. Not because government is not responsible, but because it is being disempowered.

“This is not just an economic anomaly. It is not merely an administrative problem. It is a democratic disaster and a governance mismalady. It is a wound deliberately inflicted on grassroots governance and the ordinary citizens who depend on it.

“By keeping Osun’s Local Government allocations trapped in Abuja, the Federal Government is sending only one message: They want farmers in Ejigbo and rural sun to be stranded with bad roads, watching their harvests rot because rural infrastructure cannot be fixed.

“They want teachers and local workers in Iwo and other LGs to sink into despair, as community development programs will be stalled and hope fades in our schools.

“We know this cannot be the intention of your youth-friendly government. This is not the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu we know. This is not about politics. This is not about party lines. This is about people. About justice. About democracy.

“And so, we end with one cry, one prayer, one demand: Your Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, please release Osun’s allocations. Let our Local Governments live. Let us breathe”.

The group also charged the federal government to resuscitate and fully operationalize the National Youth Development Centre, Ode-Omu, Osun State.

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