The Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens (CCNC), a non-political organisation, has stated that the crisis arising from the withheld local government funds in Osun State is a threat to the political, socio-economic development, and well-being of the Osun people.

Speaking at a press conference, the coalition spokesperson, Raufu Sodiq, stressed that the continued withholding of Osun State local government funds has affected all sectors of the state, calling for the issue to be addressed without delay.

The coalition, which remarked that with the current situation, it has become increasingly difficult to sustain calls on the federal government to release the withheld funds, noted that funds are used for the betterment of the Osun people.

The spokesperson equally demanded full support for the affected sectors, including education, health, and security, to help them recover from the damage the withheld funds have caused.

Others, he pointed out, were to protect the rights of the masses to basic amenities and services, address the rising unemployment caused by the withheld funds, guarantee the security of lives and property in Osun State, as well as ensure the continuity of essential services, and other social services done in other states but deliberately not implemented in Osun State.

The demands also included holding accountable those responsible for the withholding of funds, adding that the state government should explore alternative funding sources, such as grants and loans, to support agricultural, sports development, and other critical sectors in the state.

The coalition further gave the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) a three-day ultimatum to ensure the release of the funds.

The CCNC, however, warned that if the federal government fails to act and get this issue completely resolved within three days, the coalition will be forced to adopt more drastic measures, including confrontation, to seek justice, which will be done nationwide.

The group, therefore, urged the federal government to prioritise the welfare of the masses, release the withheld funds to prevent further suffering, and not politicise the issue further.

According to the coalition, “CCNC will always stand for justice and protect the rights of our people without hesitation. We want to restate that we will never be allowed to be tools in the hands of any government. All we want is good governance, effective security, and employment that will aid good living conditions.

“We want to say that with all sense of responsibility that if the federal government administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not do the needful, we will have no other choice than to use the last resort of activism, which is confrontation, to seek justice.

“We don’t want the Osun State local government fund to be politicised any further. And we want to remind the federal government that Osun is not the only state that has not fully implemented local government autonomy, and the people should not be made to suffer unnecessarily.” (This Day)

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