Osun Monarchs, 440 Chiefs Cry Out Over Seven Months’ Unpaid Salaries Under Adeleke

​Traditional rulers in Osun State have voiced severe financial distress, with the Oloyan of Oyan, Oba Adekeye Oluyeye, publicly calling out Governor Ademola Adeleke over seven consecutive months of unpaid statutory salaries and entitlements for royal fathers and chiefs.

​In a widely circulated video capturing the frustration at the grassroots level, Oba Oluyeye detailed the plight of traditional institution leaders within the Odo-Otin Local Government Area. He disclosed that 17 monarchs and 440 chiefs have gone without remuneration for seven months, plunging households into intense hardship amid soaring living costs.

​“Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, we the kings are hungry. You’re starving us, the kings, and also the chiefs. Pay us our salaries; you’ve not paid us for seven months,” the monarch lamented.

​Escalating Hardship and Medical Struggles

​Oba Oluyeye highlighted that the situation has severely compromised the dignity and wellbeing of traditional leaders, noting that the economic strain has made basic survival and medical care a monumental challenge.

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​Recalling a previous instance where royal stipends were allegedly withheld for eight months before public agitation forced a disbursement, the monarch criticized the recurring delays. He shared a personal ordeal of spending weeks receiving treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), only to face severe obstacles settling basic medical bills due to the prolonged salary freeze.

​Local Government Control and Federal Intervention

​The brewing crisis coincides with broader political and administrative friction surrounding local government fund management and statutory allocations across Osun State.

​Addressing the role of the Federal Government, Oba Oluyeye maintained that President Bola Tinubu has fulfilled his constitutional responsibilities concerning local governance, absolving the federal administration of blame and placing the burden squarely on the state government.

​“The President has done what is proper. He is virtuous and really loves our traditional leaders. He has nothing to do with the withheld money,” Oluyeye stated, while reiterating his plea for Governor Adeleke to intervene and clear the mounting salary arrears immediately.