http://www.osundefender.org/?p=24848

Thousands of Nigerians have benefitted from the Osun state government’s free train services as the effect of the sudden removal of subsidy on petroleum products by the Federal Government bites harder.

The free train service from Lagos to Osogbo and vice versa, came to the rescue of many commuters who had either travelled out of the state to Lagos or needed to return to Lagos and other various destinations after the New Year festivities.

Commissioner for Commerce Cooperatives and Empowerment in Osun State, Mr. Ismail Alagbada, while speaking with journalists in Osogbo Wednesday evening, disclosed that more than 500 passengers left with the train from Osogbo back to Lagos and other destinations after the New Year celebration when the sudden increase in transport fares left them stranded.

“About 500 passengers left with the train from here in Osogbo. These are aside hundreds of others who joined the train along the route to Lagos such as Ede, Ibadan, Abeokuta and others.

“The passengers were not only people from the state but those who managed to find their ways to Osogbo from Ilorin, Ofa and other places, having learnt of the free train services being offered by the Osun state government,” Alagbada stated.

The maiden trip of the train, called Omoluabi Train had arrived the state on Friday December 23 with more than 700 passengers who were received personally at the Osogbo station by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

Since the first trip by the train, thousands of other Nigerians have benefited from the service which is a product of an MOU between the state government and Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

The service is part of the state government’s O-HUB initiative, a Mid-Regional Market to ignite massive commercial activities in the state by drawing merchants of goods and agricultural products to the state for onward transportation to Lagos markets.