Adeleke Announces N500m Fund for Victims of Osun Election Violence
By Waliu Adetokun, Osogbo
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has announced the establishment of a ₦500 million Election Violence Victims Endowment Fund to provide relief and support to victims and families affected by violence during the just-concluded governorship election in the state.
Adeleke made the announcement on Wednesday at a celebration rally organised by the Osun State labour movement in Osogbo, where he commiserated with families of those who lost their lives or were injured during the electoral process.
The governor said the government would ensure that the victims and their families were not forgotten, particularly those who lost their lives during the election.
“We remember Ezekiel Olapade, Aderogba Ajayi, Remi Abass, Kolade Eluyera, and the many other victims whose lives were cut short or permanently affected by electoral violence.
“To their families, I say: your pain has not been forgotten, and your loved ones will never be reduced to statistics,” Adeleke said.
He explained that a Verification and Relief Committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Olumide Egbedun, would oversee the identification and assessment of victims as well as the distribution of relief.
Adeleke stressed that the fund would be strictly humanitarian and would not be influenced by political affiliation or other considerations.
“This is not a political fund. It is a humanitarian intervention. No eligible victim will be discriminated against on the basis of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, gender or social status,” he said.
The governor also announced that the Adeleke family, through the Springtime Development Foundation, would provide automatic scholarships up to university level for the children and dependants of those who lost their lives during the electoral violence.
He said the initiative was part of efforts to provide meaningful support to families affected by the violence and ensure that the consequences of the election did not continue to affect the victims’ dependants.
The governor had earlier declared that he held no grudge against his political opponents, saying he had forgiven those who may have offended him during the election.
“God has fought my battles for me and so I hold unto God throughout the duration of the political war and now that I have been re-elected,” he said.
He also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for their roles during the election, while noting that more could have been done to prevent incidents of violence.
“I commend the electoral commission for doing a good job. You stood for democracy. I commend the security agencies, especially the Commissioner of Police for Election, the DSS. I would have loved the police to do more but we thank God the election day went violence free,” Adeleke said.
The INEC National Commissioner in charge of the Osun election, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, also commended voters in the state for turning out to exercise their civic rights despite the challenges surrounding the election.
“Osun people are the heroes of the Saturday election. Active citizenry always makes a difference in the conduct of credible elections. Osun people proved to the world that democracy can work when the people are involved,” Ajayi said.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Osun State chapter, Dr. Christopher Arapasopo, meanwhile, commended workers for their support for Adeleke during the election.
Arapasopo said the labour movement would continue to support Accord candidates in future legislative elections.
“We defied attacks and intimidation to support the re-election of Governor Adeleke. We will never bow to those who want to enslave us. We will still vote Accord in future legislative elections,” he said.