Osun Assembly Faces Criticism Over N10.3 bn Expenditure On Car Purchase

The Osun State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Adewale Egbedun, is facing intense scrutiny for its recent alleged N1.03 billion expenditure on car purchases for lawmakers.

The controversy stemmed from the lack of transparency surrounding the transaction, coupled with the state’s current financial difficulties

The distribution of the SUVs without prior public announcement or budgetary allocation drew sharp criticism from a coalition of civil society groups under the banner of “The Osun Mastermind” (TOM) which condemned the assembly’s spending spree.

Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, the Executive Director of TOM, also criticised the assembly’s failure to explain ambiguous spending of over N800 million in the third quarter of 2023, beyond the car purchase, which was not included in the budget.

Professor Oyedokun-Alli called for immediate disclosure of details surrounding the assembly’s N886.4 million expenditure for July, August, and September 2023.

He pointed out that a member organization, the Centre for Sustained Dialogue, had submitted a Freedom of Information request on November 22,2023 but had not received any response.

He particularly criticised the assembly’s actions in light of its youthful leadership, represented by Speaker Egbedun.

He expressed disappointment that a generation supposedly advocating for positive change exhibited such blatant disregard for the people’s plight