Adeleke Establishes N500m Endowment Fund for Osun Pre-Election Violence Victims

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has announced the creation of a N500 million endowment fund to support victims of pre-election violence that occurred ahead of the recently concluded governorship election.

The governor made the announcement on Wednesday during the presentation of his Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission following his re-election victory.

According to Olalekan Badmu, the Governor’s Special Assistant on Digital Media, the fund was established by the state government in honour of those affected by the violence. Additionally, the Adeleke family has pledged to provide full scholarships up to university level for children of those who lost their lives during the violent incidents.

Badmu confirmed that beneficiaries would be drawn across all political party lines, with a special committee headed by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, tasked with verification and compilation of eligible victims.

In his remarks at the event, Governor Adeleke emphasised that the intervention is purely humanitarian rather than political. He assured that no eligible victim would be excluded based on political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, gender, or social status.

“This is not a political intervention. It is a humanitarian responsibility,” Adeleke stated. “In grief, there is no political party. In our common humanity, we are one people.”

The governor also called for unity among residents following the election, appealing to both his supporters and those who backed other candidates.

“The election is over. The campaign is over. The contest is over. Now is the time to govern, unite, heal and build,” he said.

Adeleke was declared winner of the August 15 governorship election after securing victory in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas. He defeated his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who won in 11 local government areas.