No be small wahala dey Osun State o! After 11 months wey local government workers sit down for house like say dem dey wait for bus wey no go come, dem finally don shout ‘Omo, we don resume!’. This one happen after di National Union of Local Government Employees don give them green light. But no be say everything don clear, wahala still dey ground.
The matter wey cause all dis gbege na di serious fight wey dey happen between Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and di All Progressives Congress (APC) over who go carry di local government chairmen after election wey happen for October 2022 and February 2025. Wetin suppose be smooth democratic process, now e don turn court case wahala as dem dey order and counter-order like movie.
Na di workers wey no gree dey involve for all dis political drama, na dem suffer pass as salary don waka far, and local services don kpafuka. People no fit understand wetin dey happen as di Supreme Court come drop di bombshell recently. Dem don dismiss di case wey di Osun Attorney-General file against di Federal Government for refusing to release LG money. Court talk say, na only di people wey dem elect fit carry matter go court, not di Attorney-General.
But e no end there, di Supreme Court still talk say di Federal Government dey breach di Constitution by withholding di LG funds. Dem even shout back at di AG of di Federation say na dem be di real contempt, seize funds meant for di councils. As e be, di ruling na clear message say di local government system for Nigeria dey in serious trouble.
While dem dey argue like school children for court, na di average Nigerian wey dey suffer for corner. Projects don spoil, allocations don freeze, and councils no dey functional like before. Di minority judgement wey Emmanuel Agim give, talk say di Osun AG get right to represent di LGAs wey dey suffer, show say true suffering dey ground.
We fit talk say di problem big pass wetin we see; litigation don become national sport wey politicians dey use as weapon against each other. Osun APC dey complain say dem dey shop for court orders anyhow, but na true matter wey dey show say we need reform wey go protect di local governments.
We dey call on Governor Ademola Adeleke and di Federal Government to show sense, because di current situation no fit continue. We no go fit dey use financial strangulation dey play politics, because na di grassroots people dey pay di price for all dis wahala. Dem need to release di funds sharp, make everybody gree play di game well, no more litigation, make things dey function.
As we dey reason all dis matter, we still gree say true federalism na di solution. Di 1999 Constitution dey cause serious wahala by listing 774 LGAs for am. We need amend di Constitution make states sabi control dia own local government matter as dem like. Dis Osun problem fit serve as lesson for everybody: when politics dey scatter governance, na di people wey dey ground dey suffer am pass.
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