The Osun State Government has established a N500 million endowment fund to support victims of pre-election violence in the state, while the Adeleke family has pledged full scholarships up to university level for children who lost their parents during the violence.
Governor Ademola Adeleke announced the intervention on Wednesday while receiving his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission following his re-election in the August 15 governorship election.
The fund, according to the governor’s Special Assistant on Digital Media, Olalekan Badmus, was established in honour of victims of the violence recorded before the governorship poll.
Badmus also disclosed that the Adeleke family would personally provide full scholarships through university level for children of those who died as a result of the violence.
He stressed that beneficiaries of the government’s intervention would be drawn across political party lines, meaning that support would not be restricted to victims or families associated with a particular political group.
To determine those eligible for the intervention, a special committee will be responsible for the verification and compilation of victims and beneficiaries. The committee will be headed by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun.
Details of Adeleke’s remarks at the event, as reported by The Daily Beam, showed that the governor described the initiative as a humanitarian responsibility rather than a political intervention.
He assured that no eligible victim would be excluded on the grounds of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, gender or social status, emphasising that the loss suffered by affected families transcended political differences.
The governor also called on residents to embrace unity following the conclusion of the governorship election, assuring those who voted for him as well as those who supported other candidates that he remained the governor of the entire state.
Adeleke urged residents to put the political contest behind them and concentrate on healing, governance and rebuilding the state.
He also prayed for families who lost loved ones during the violence, those who sustained injuries and the continued peace and development of Osun State.
The intervention comes after Adeleke was declared winner of the August 15 governorship election by INEC, securing victory in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas.
The incumbent governor, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, defeated the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who won in the remaining 11 local government areas.
The N500 million endowment fund and the scholarship commitment by the Adeleke family come as measures aimed at addressing the human impact of the violence recorded ahead of the election and supporting families that suffered losses.
While the state government’s fund is targeted at victims of the pre-election violence, the Adeleke family’s scholarship initiative is specifically aimed at ensuring that children who lost their parents are supported through their education up to university level.
The governor’s decision to extend the intervention across political lines is also intended to ensure that assistance is based on the circumstances of the victims rather than their political affiliation.
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