Osun monarch accuses Adeleke’s government of leaving kings, chiefs hungry

By Anthonia Okonkwo

The Oloyan of Oyan in Osun State, Oba Adekeye Oluyeye, has launched a scathing attack on Governor Ademola Adeleke, accusing his administration of abandoning traditional rulers and chiefs to endure severe financial hardship.

Appealing directly to the state leadership in a viral Facebook video published by Osogbo Updates on Wednesday, the monarch lamented that dozens of royal fathers and hundreds of community chiefs remain completely unremunerated.

He disclosed that 17 traditional rulers alongside 440 chiefs across Odo-Otin Local Government Area have now gone seven consecutive months without receiving their statutory stipends.

Expressing deep frustration over their deteriorating plight, Oba Oluyeye highlighted how the nationwide economic downturn and soaring cost of living have compounded the acute distress felt by the affected traditional authorities.

Visibly dismayed by the prolonged neglect, the sovereign issued a poignant plea for his message to reach the governor directly, declaring, “The king is starving; they are starving the king and chiefs.”

Addressing ongoing speculation regarding local council funding, the traditional leader exonerated President Bola Tinubu, asserting that the Federal Government had fulfilled its financial obligations and bore no responsibility for their withheld stipends.

Consequently, the royal father implored Governor Adeleke to intervene urgently to clear all outstanding salary arrears, reiterating with stark gravity that hunger was severely ravaging the local hierarchy.

This royal outcry unfolds against the backdrop of a prolonged legal and political impasse over local government council administration in Osun State, whilst state government officials are yet to issue a formal response to the monarch’s allegations.