₦airaland Forum

Students, Residents, Others Stranded As Transportation Activities Suspended In Osun

There was palpable fear in Osogbo, Ile Ife, Ilesa, and other towns in Osun State on Wednesday morning, as commercial transporters suspended their operations, leaving students, residents, and travelers stranded.

The move, which resulted in the disruption of economic and social activities, was in response to the directive from the Osun State Transport Management System (OSTMS) leadership.

Osun Defender reports that the OSTMS Secretary, Alhaji Mukaila Popoola, announced the strike in a statement issued on Tuesday in Osogbo, citing solidarity with the union’s Chairman, Mr. Iyanda Alowonle, who was allegedly shot in police custody by Superintendent of Police, SP Moses Lohor.

Alhaji Popoola condemned the act, describing it as an attempted assassination and demanding justice.

Meanwhile, in Ile Ife, the Great Ife Students’ Union alerted students and the public about the disruption of the Town Gboro bus services, which usually cater to transportation needs within the university town.

The union attributed the shutdown to the ongoing strike by commercial drivers across Osun State.

In a statement signed by the Union’s Public Relations Officer, Aka Daniel, said, “The leadership of the Great Ife Students’ Union wishes to inform all Great Ife students and the general public that Town Gboro buses will not be in operation tomorrow, Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

“This development is due to an internal conflict within the leadership of bus drivers in Osogbo, which has resulted in a directive for all public transport across Osun State to observe a 24-hour strike.

READ: Commercial Transporters Suspend Activities In Osun

“In light of this, the Union has made arrangements for the Union buses to assist students in reaching their various destinations during the period of the strike. Additionally, commercial motorcycles [okada] will also be available for transportation.

“According to the leadership of the “Town Gboro” drivers, bus services are expected to resume operations by Thursday, November 21, 2024.

“We regret any inconvenience this temporary disruption may cause and urge all students to plan their movements accordingly. Thank you for your understanding.”

However, the strike has left many struggling to commute between major towns like Osogbo, Ilesa, and Ile Ife. Markets, offices, and schools across the state reported low turnout due to the transportation crisis.

To gauge the extent of the disruption caused by the suspension of commercial activities, Osun Defender spoke with several affected individuals, including students, traders, and workers stranded in key areas like Osogbo, Ile Ife, and Ilesa.

Mrs. Abiodun Adeola, a trader in Osogbo, expressed frustration over the lack of transportation. She had planned to transport goods to the market but was forced to stay at home.

“This strike has completely disrupted my business for the day. I rely on commercial buses to carry my goods to the market. It is only Okada riders and private cars that are operating. Now, I’m stuck, and my customers will have to go elsewhere. This is a huge loss for me,” she lamented.

OAU Students Speak

At Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), the disruption of Town Gboro buses left many students struggling to move around Ile Ife. While some managed to use the Union’s buses, others resorted to commercial motorcycles.

Tosin Ajayi, a 300-level student of Economics, said, “The Union buses are helping, but they can’t meet the demand of all the students. Many of us are left waiting for hours or paying extra for okadas. I hope the drivers resolve their issues quickly.”

Another student, Bukola Adeoti, added, “I appreciate the Union for stepping in, but this situation has exposed how much we depend on these buses. If this strike continues, we’ll face more challenges.”

Mr. Adekunle Adebayo, a civil servant in Ilesha, described the situation as chaotic.

“I was at the bus stop for over an hour, hoping to find a vehicle to Osogbo for a meeting. Eventually, I had to use an okada at triple the usual fare. The government must intervene to prevent a repeat of this situation,” he said.

Calls for Peace

Residents and commuters called for dialogue between the OSTMS leadership, the state government, and the police to resolve the crisis.

“I understand their grievances, but this method punishes ordinary citizens more than anyone else. The authorities must ensure that justice is served while protecting the livelihoods of citizens,” said Mr. Munirudeen Jamiu, a resident of Osogbo noted.


https://www.osundefender.com/students-residents-others-stranded-as-transportation-activities-suspended-in-osun/


Watch the video of the park manager arrest here:

Police arrest Adeleke's aide, Nurudeen Alowonle. Police pistols, bullets was recovered from him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CNu_gu_D1Y?

Too much oppression in the land. Governor Adeleke is shielding him cos’ of second term bid. Very bad here

This the country that wants to develop like America

Just that the transporters go on strike, the results and the effects of the populace will make you to appreciate and always embrace peace.

Iena:
This the country that wants to develop like America

it will take another 50 years for Nigeria 🇳🇬 to develop. It’s ego and greediness that’s causing this oppression in the land.

PRESS STATEMENT.

(21ST NOVEMBER, 2024).

We Commend Your Yeoman's Job Over Arrest Of Osogbo Hardened Criminal

- Osun APC Tells Police

...Condemns Adeleke's Govt, PDP For Defending Criminal Suspect

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the state command of the Nigeria Police for its proactive approach in ridding the state of criminal elements who have been hiding under the canopy of the government to disturb the peace of the state.

It would be recalled that the police acting on information arrested one Wakeel Nurudeen Alowonle, the chairman, Osun State Transport Management System (OSTMS), together with other suspects accused of sundry crimes ranging from robbery, kidnapping and serial murder, in Osogbo, the state capital, on Monday.

The police disclosed that a British Barretta Pistol, six rounds of 9 mm live ammunition and an expended empty shell were recovered from the vehicle belonging to Alowonle which he openly confessed in a video recording to have been given to him by a police officer.

Further information from the police disclosed that Alowonle, a close associate and appointee of Governor Ademola Adeleke, was shot at while trying to escape after he had successfully escaped from the police grip on the way to the police station, initially.

It is not a new thing that a suspected criminal is arrested by the police. What however, is bizarre and worrisome is that the state government and the state chapter of the PDP would find it expedient, tactical and necessary to make a statement in support of the suspect who has a history of unresolved crimes hanging on his neck.

This hasty defence of a suspected criminal by Governor Adeleke's government has provoked some fundamental questions about the government's commitment to protecting the citizenry of Osun State which is the uppermost duty of any government which is alive to its constitutional responsibility.

A situation where a government and the ruling party have turned themselves to the megaphone of a hardened criminal is a pointer to the abysmal low level to which the government of Governor Adeleke has been ridiculously and shamefully reduced to.

That the ruling PDP could descend so low to be defending a suspected gunrunner and contrabandist go a long way to accentuate the maxim that an organization cannot be better than the quality of those running its affairs. The Osun PDP is a classical example of an irredeemable disaster which management is unfortunate to be in the hand of a certified bibulous personality while the government is being tendered to by some opportunistic caretakers due to the verifiable pathological challenges of the supposed number one man in the state.

In a sane society, the government should genuinely partner with the law enforcement agencies in combating crimes and not brazenly aiding and abetting same as it is the case with the close associate of Governor Adeleke.

There have been cases of fugitives and wanted criminals of the PDP extraction taking an undue advantage of the statutory immunity of Governor Adeleke who have been suspiciously hiding in the state Government House and his convoy to evade arrest. The list of such wanted suspected criminals is endless.

This unsavoury development is pointing to the suspicion that the PDP government of Senator Adeleke is harbouring dangerous criminals ahead of the 2026 governorship election. It is our conviction that the people of Osun State deserve better than a government that is glaringly and brazenly prioritizing the interests of criminals over the expected constitutional safety and well-being of its citizens.

It is a high level of absurdity and preposterousness that the PDP-run government in Osun State which is bereft of the nitty gritty of the iron-cast information in the possession of the police is acting the role of a meddlesome interloper to the consternation of the right-thinking members of the society instead of assisting the police in a case of a suspected criminal found in possession of firearms which he had openly confessed to.

Was it an omission or a deliberate act on the part of the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Kolapo Alimi, who issued the statement on behalf of the state government in the defence of the arrested associate of his paymaster for refusing to tell the whole world what a private citizen was doing with the instruments of death found on him at the time of his arrest, assuming the suspect is one?

Haven't we been vindicated with our previous allegation that the PDP-run government in Osun State is piling up arms and ammunition with which they intend to harass, maim, kill the members of the opposition APC in the state with a view to rigging the 2026 governorship election?

We, as a party, commend the efforts of the police in making the state unhabitable for the criminals and are enjoining the proactive statutory force to continue to work in tandem with the other sister security agencies in the state in order to restore the lost glory of the state as the hitherto most peaceful in Nigeria before the coming of Governor Adeleke and his goons into the political theatre of the State of the Virtuous.

With the efforts of the Police so far, the constant beating, attacking and maiming of Osun citizens in broad daylight has been reduced to the barest minimum. Therefore, the Police must not, under whatever guise, succumb to the blackmail from the State Government over the arrest of Alowonle.

It will interest the discerning members of the society why Alowonle rejected the earlier invitation of the police over a petition alleging threat to life written by one Ido-Osun Prince Nurudeen Ademola Jimoh, a businessman, whose cars, house and shopping mall were destroyed at the Oke-Baale area of Osogbo in a rift over an allegation that the businessman snatched Alowonle's girlfriend.

It will also satisfy the curiosity of the peace-loving members of the society for the wounded and hospitalized Governor Adeleke's associate to disclose the identity of the police officer he said gave the British Barretta Pistol to him as reflected in the recorded video message that has gone viral.

It was appalling that the PDP-run government in the state could callously choose an option of clandestinely promoting a commercial drivers' protest yesterday whereby all the commercial vehicles were prevented from operating their business without considering the avoidable pains and inconveniences caused to the commuters who were left with the option of having to trek long distances to and from their destinations in Osogbo, the state capital.

If the state government wasn't behind the protest where some innocent inhabitants were harassed, beating up and wounded, it would not have been possible to make it a reality with the resultant effect of punishing the inhabitants of the state capital.

e-SIGNED:

Chief KOLA OLABISI,

Osun State APC Director of Media and Information.