Economic Hardship: Bishops Decry Non-disclosure Of Allocations, Intervention Funds, Relief packages By State Govs

By Ikeola Adedayo, Osogbo

Bishops and leaders of the Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, African and Baptist churches in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, on Wednesday, say it is totally inappropriate for any state government to fail to disclose to the public the federal allocations as well as other relief packages given to their state to relief the masses of the ongoing economic woes.

Speaking at the ecumenical conference organized by a Faith based non governmental organization, Justice Development and Peace makers centre (JDPMC),Osogbo ahead the lenten season, the bishops and leaders of these Christian bodies, however, said it was shameful to note that even material reliefs earmarked by the federal government for the poor are dissolving into the thin air or are being rebranded with no credible information on their whereabouts and the intent for such in many states of the federation.

The Catholic Bishop of Osogbo Diocese,
Most Rev John Akin Oyejola while speaking said: “This tragic mystery which has shrouded the deployment of the reallocated subsidy and relief packages to various states in the country raises doubt as to whether the government is intent on acting with clear conscience before God in handling of the belongings of the poor in their custody.

“We therefore remind the leaders and all stakeholder that it is grave offense before God Almighty to ever deploy such funds for any other purpose than the good of the masses. Diversion of such fund is tantamount to stealing from the poor and it is repulsive to God.”

They, however, called on government at all levels not to wait for aggression from the people before empathy would move them to do whatever is necessary to alleviate the difficulty citizens go through to
survive.

Also speaking on the 2024 Osun State Appropriation Law tagged “Budget of
Reconstruction and Recovery”, the clerics implored Governor Ademola Adeleke to implement the planned budget primarily for the betterment of the citizenry.

According to them, “Osun citizens are watching with eagle’s vigilance.

“We pray that the Spirit of the Lord would move every citizen of the state to respond to the messages of Lent with the right disposition. We have strong faith that if we all turn inwardly to listen to God and the dictates of sound consciences, we are already setting the ground ready for the emergence of a new Osun State upon which the Lord would be pleased to rain in abundance his heavenly blessings.

“As we assure government and people of our humble prayers, we hereby express our deep hope and confidence in the openness and willingness of our political leaders and the rest of the citizenry to the word of God and the transformation he brings to man and his society.”