Governor Adeleke’s 2025 Budget and Obaagun Community – By Wale Atoba

When we conceptualize the meaning of a budget, we understand it as a future plan of action that encompasses the entire state, explaining the generation and utilization of resources across various sectors of the economy, from the nooks and crannies of Osun State, not just a specific community.

Thus, it is not news for the people of the Obaagun community that Governor Adeleke has presented the 2025 budget to the Osun State House of Assembly for passage. However, the news is about assessing the budget in relation to the development of the Obaagun community and analyzing the specific allocations and developmental plans for the beneficial people of Obaagun.

To be clear, Obaagun is located in Osun State’s central senatorial district. The population of the community is characterized by a mix of young, old, artisans, public servants, teachers, and self-employed people, with limited access to motorable roads.
The community has a rich history that dates back several centuries and has seen various political changes, impacting its development trajectory in positive and negative ways.
The current government deserves praise for increasing the capital expenditure of the Osun State Government’s budget for 2025. That is, “Capital expenditure is increased to N144,231,183,800 from the preceding year of N109,848,020,710.”
Undoubtedly, this will lead to a boost in the state’s infrastructure. This reveals a commitment to improve the quality of life for all inhabitants of Osun State, as governance is for the people and not for a segment of the people.

The inhabitants of the Obaagun community are concerned that the upcoming budget won’t further marginalize them, given the significant inequality and lack of government attention they have experienced in the implementation of the previous government’s budgets in the state. Their primary concern is that this trend may persist. In all honesty, the previous budget did not result in significant economic or infrastructure improvements for the Obaagun community.

Also, during the presentation of the 2025 budget, the government claims to have reduced the road infrastructure gap and deficit by 50% from 80%. The governor’s statement, which excludes the Obaagun community from road infrastructure development and leaves them in the unattended gaps, is extremely disheartening.
This is because through unbiased and unmarginalized budget implementation, the government can continuously foster social cohesion and economic development, thereby improving the overall well-being of the people of Osun State and the Obaagun community in particular.

Addressing the perceived marginalization in communities such as Obaagun, a pivotal area in the 2025 Osun State budget, can significantly improve their living conditions. This is because the current government, under Asiwaju Senator Nurudeen Adeleke, has not constructed or rehabilitated any road infrastructure in Obaagun. People view this as total marginalization and unfulfillment of the promise made by him.
As a citizen of Osun State, a taxpayer, and a community leader, I had a duty to call the attention of the government to the unpalatable and dilapidated conditions of road infrastructure in Obaagun. This has been done, and we will continue to call the attention of the government to their responsibility to provide better living conditions for its citizens in respect of the population, urbanization, and locality.

The perceived irregularities in the infrastructural development, particularly for the people of the Obaagun community, have widened the gap between communities, hindered overall development, and perpetuated cycles of limited access to quality life and the impact of positive governance in the community.
If Omo Balogun and Asiwaju of Ede, His Excellency Governor Ademola Adeleke, fulfill his promise to Obaagun by reconstructing the road from Obaagun to Iba Communities, it will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on the inhabitants of the Obaagun community. As Yoruba proudly says, “eni tosu logbagbe, eni koo kolegbagbe lailai.”

The government, in honesty of purpose, should take into account the benefits (monetary and material) it receives from our natural resources located in Obaagun, which form part of the internally generated revenue the government has been using to build and rehabilitate other communities while keeping us on the margins.
We would be eternally grateful if Governor Adeleke could address the infrastructural imbalances in Obaagun by incorporating them into the 2025 budget, possibly through an amendment. We will, therefore, see the 2025 budget as one of consolidation rather than marginalization.

Prince Wale Atoba Ph.D.
National Treasurer,
Obaagun Development Union.
[email protected]