Controversy has been trailing the alleged disappearance of the palliative buses provided by the Osun State government from the roads.
While some critics faulted the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke that it had already jeopardized the sustainability of the scheme by repairing hitherto abandoned buses and rebranding for the use of the public to cushion the effect of subsidy removal, others alleged that the decrease in the number of the buses in circulation was due to their alleged poor condition.
One of the critics of the state government wrote, “I warned them seriously ahead of their embarkation on this wasteful ventures. I told this prodigal government of Ademola Adeleke that it can never work. I said buses were already spent Oldsmobiles. I told them, among others that refurbished vehicles can go back to the mechanic garage immediately after its fixing and delivery. I went further to advise them to either refurbish and sell off the vehicles thereafter add money to the proceeds then do a new purchase.
“I told them that in the alternative they can sell off the vehicles as scraps or give them to the NURTW & RTWEAN people for their own palliatives too. I urged them to go for total new luxurious buses like their counterpart states are doing. I told them that new vehicles, no matter how, will give its owners values of not less than two years maintenance relief.”
However, Commissioner for Transportation, Sesan Oyedele has said that the palliative buses have not been withdrawn from the roads.
The Commissioner made this known through a statement in reaction to news making the rounds that the Senator Ademola Adeleke administration has withdrawn the buses from the streets due to lack of maintenance.
Oyedele in the statement urged members of the public to disregard the false information, noting that it was the handiwork of political marauders.
He said the buses are only going through some skeletal services in preparation for students resumption.
The statement read, “The attention of the Ministry of Transport, Osun State, has been drawn to a propaganda being spread by the IleriOluwa faction of the APC, that the Palliative Buses distributed by the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke, to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal, has been withdrawn from circulation.
“This is a lie and should be disregarded by the public. There are some skeletal services currently ongoing on the buses in preparation of students resumption tomorrow.
“We want to say unequivocally that the buses shall be on the road tomorrow for the usage of the people of Osun.
“We thereby implore Osun residents to keep on supporting the administration of Governor Adeleke as it’s poised to right the wrongs of the past administration in the state.”
