AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
The Oyo State Government has announced the deployment of free Omituntun transport buses to ease the plights of the residents of the state as the naira and fuel scarcities persist in the land.
Recall that Governor Seyi Makinde announced in a statewide broadcast on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, on Friday night, that the state government was committed to alleviating the suffering of the masses.
A statement signed and made available to Oyo Reporters by Taiwo Adisa, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, on February 4, read that the governor decried the protests by some residents of Ibadan earlier on Friday.
The statement indicated that the security agencies in the state had been put on red alert to avert breakdown of law and order while also urging the people to ensure that they use their franchise to usher in a responsible government in the general elections.
According to it, the transit buses would be deployed to more routes within the state for free in a bid to ameliorate the suffering of the people.
It added that the state was also working with council chairmen to provide palliatives for the vulnerable members of the public, quoting the governor as saying, “I am addressing you today because of the prevailing conditions in our state and country that led to protests especially in Ibadan.
“The continuous fuel scarcity and the scarcity of the naira have led to slow economic activities. I understand and I feel your pain. I have always maintained that peaceful protests are fine. When things are not going how we want them to go, we have a right and even a responsibility to protest.
“Let me also state that while we are protesting, we must remember how easily a peaceful protest can turn violent and lead to loss of lives and property. The violence that erupted in parts of Ibadan today (Friday) is condemnable and will not be tolerated.
“In response to this, I have suspended all campaign activities forthwith. I have also met with the heads of security agencies in Oyo State to restore calm and maintain the peace in our dear state. Violence cannot and will not solve our problems, it only creates new ones.
“We have another opportunity in a few weeks to move this country in a new direction. Use your PVC, not violence. We must not allow elements within us who have other motives to take advantage of peaceful protests to perpetrate evil or push their agendas. I urge all law-abiding residents of the state to go about their lawful activities.
“All our security agencies are on high alert and so, peaceful residents of the state have no cause to fear. As a palliative measure, I have directed that the Omituntun Mass Transit Buses should be deployed to more routes within the state for free.
“We are also working with local government chairmen to see what immediate palliatives we can make available to the most vulnerable amongst us to alleviate the hardships that the twin scarcity of fuel and the naira have brought upon our people.”
