N25m Refurbished ‘Imole De’ Buses Off Roads In Osogbo, Other Towns

THE N25m refurbished ‘Imole De’ buses are no more on the roads across Osun State, findings have revealed. 

Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration on November 21, 2023, officially rolled out the 19 buses as part of efforts to cushion the harsh effects of the petroleum subsidy removal by the Federal Government.

Five of the buses were stationed in Osogbo, the state capital, for commuting people to earmarked routes.

Ede, Iwo and Ikirun have two each while the people of Ife/ Modakeke and Ilesa have three each.

Two of the buses are kept on standby for other contingencies that may likely come up from time to time.

However, a week after the rolling out, one of the newly refurbished ‘Imole De Bus’, was involved in an accident around Capital area of Osogbo, the state capital.

The driver of the bus, according to eyewitnesses, said brake failure was responsible for the accident.

Weeks after the incident, OSUN DEFENDER observed the absence of the buses on the roads in Osogbo, and other parts of the state. 

There were reports in some quarters that the buses have been withdrawn by the state government because they were not road-worthy.

However, the state government through the Commissioner for Transportation, Hon. Sesan Oyedele, debunked the report, saying they were only going through some “skeletal services” in preparation for students’ resumption. 

The Commissioner said the buses would be on the road for the usage from Monday, January 08, 2024.

But only one of the buses was sighted in Osogbo, while none was operating in Ife, Ilesa and Iwo from Monday till the time of filing this report yesterday. 

OSUN DEFENDER observed that majority of the buses were packed in front of the Ministry of Transportation during a visit on Thursday around 4:30 p.m.

Efforts to get the reaction of the State Commissioner For Transport, Sesan Oyedele proved abortive as calls to his phone were not answered while test messages sent to his phone and Whatsapp were not replied.