Nigeria’s Feeding Bottle Governance System: Lawyer Faults Delay in Osun LG ₦130bn Allocation

A legal practitioner and human rights advocate, Liborous Oshoma, has strongly criticised the call by Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for the release of ₦130 billion allegedly withheld from the state’s local government allocations.

Oshoma made the remarks on Monday while speaking during an interview on Arise Television, which was closely monitored by LMSINT MEDIA. According to him, the situation reflects what he described as Nigeria’s continued operation of a “feeding bottle” system of governance.

LMSINT MEDIA recalls that Governor Adeleke had earlier demanded the immediate disbursement of over ₦130 billion in statutory funds, which he claimed were withheld from the local government councils in Osun State.

Reacting to the issue, Oshoma argued that Nigeria’s structure encourages excessive dependence on the federal government. He stated that at the end of every month, political actors converge in Abuja to depend on centrally shared revenue, rather than generating income independently.

According to him, in a genuinely practised federal system, revenue generation should originate from the grassroots and move upward, rather than the federal government collecting nearly all income and redistributing it to states and local governments.

He explained that the current system creates a scenario where states and local councils are forced to queue for funds, collecting allocations only when permitted. Oshoma noted that when a state government is not fully aligned with the authorities at the centre, it risks being sidelined through administrative or technical reasons.

He further pointed out that such technicalities are often justified by citing alleged irregularities, including disputes surrounding local government elections conducted by the state.

Oshoma insisted that it is contradictory for the federal government to retain funds meant for local governments while simultaneously promoting democratic values and integrity. He stressed that withholding allocations undermines governance at the grassroots level.

According to him, the most appropriate step available to President Bola Tinubu is to instruct both the Minister of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release the allocations designated for the affected local governments.

He added that rather than seeking political compromises after withholding funds, the government should consider addressing tenure issues directly by compensating for the period already served or the remaining duration of the interrupted term, before allowing a fresh process to begin.

Oshoma concluded that continuously holding back funds meant for local councils is unjust, emphasizing that the real victims of such actions are the ordinary residents of Osun State, not the governor