Long before his son Davido became one of Africa’s biggest music exports, Dr Deji Adeleke built a business empire.
On Thursday, he deployed a portion of that wealth for a cause closer to home — donating N500 million to the newly launched Osun State Security Trust Fund, in a family-driven push to make the state safer for its residents.
The donation, announced at the fund’s launch in Osogbo, came as his brother and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke pledged an additional N300 million in take-off support from the state government.
Together, the Adeleke family’s combined contribution of N800 million set the tone for what the governor described as a long-overdue security intervention for the state.
For ordinary residents of Osun — traders navigating volatile markets, commuters on lonely rural roads, and farmers worried about their harvests — the fund represents a promise that the state is finally investing in their safety.
Governor Adeleke said the fund would finance modern security infrastructure, including a real-time CCTV situation room and the distribution of refurbished Armoured Personnel Carriers and new patrol vehicles to security agencies.
“It is neither a political project nor a self-serving policy. This is a necessary policy to secure our people,” the governor said, adding that the fund would operate under strict accountability and transparency mechanisms as a trust fund regulated by law.
The Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, noted that the launch followed the activation of an enabling law that had been on the books since 2012 but never implemented — meaning residents had waited over a decade for the fund to take effect.
Security Trust Fund Secretary Femi Oyedipe appealed to stakeholders and businesses to support the initiative, saying the private sector had a critical role to play in bridging the funding gap facing security agencies.
Several businesses made contributions at the event alongside the Adeleke family’s combined pledge, signalling early momentum for a fund that its backers hope will replicate the success of similar initiatives in Lagos, Kaduna, and Rivers states.
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