A group known as Osun Masterminds yesterday condemned the prolonged work stoppage in all the local government Secretariat in Osun State.
According to the Executive Director of the group, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli while briefing journalists at their April edition Press Conference held in Osogbo, the act is an irresponsible that has negatively impacted governance at the grassroots level.
The Masterminds who appealed to the local government workers to return to their duties, emphasizing the need to ease the difficulties faced by the public due to the continued closure of council offices in the state.
Prof Oyedokun-Alli who expressed concern that the shutdown of council Secretariat in Osun has disrupted essential services, leaving residents in distress.
According to Osun Masterminds, “It is regrettable that several more than a month after we first raised concerns about the situation of our Local Governments, they have remained crippled, and unable to perform the basic duties of governance at the grassroots.
“The pains of common people in the State’s rural communities, occasioned by the continued inactivity of the Local Governments is enough reason for responsive governments at all levels to urgently collaborate to find lasting solutions.
An impasse of the nature that has crippled Local Government administration in Osun is such that can be amicably resolved by government stakeholders if there was any true commitment to development.
“In case the realities are lost on relevant stakeholders, let us quickly mention a few gory implications of the current dysfunctional Local Governments:
A dysfunctional Local Government means non-collection of Internally-Generated Revenue. This implies that our State is bleeding financially, losing crucial income that should go into development.
“The primary healthcare system has also practically collapsed. Since primary healthcare centres draw funding from the Local Government coffers, it is evident that activities of the health centres would have taken a bad hit, exposing rural dwellers to worse health conditions than they ever experienced.
“Our State cannot afford to get into a widespread health emergency this way, when we are unable to provide basic healthcare.
Citizen documentation through Local Government Identification Letters have also paused, posing serious challenges to citizens of the State who need these vital documents to process important things.
Community Development generally has collapsed. The few projects that Local Governments in the State were executing, have also stopped. Road maintenance, Agric Extension services, and many more, are on a disturbing pause”, the group concluded.
