Eid-el-Kabir: Aregbesola announces free train ride to Osogbo

With few days to this year’s celebration of Eid-el-Kabir, Osun State government on Sunday announced that it has concluded arrangements for free train ride for Muslims and other people, travelling from Lagos to Osogbo.

In a press statement signed by the state Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Cooperatives Hon. Ismail Adekunle Jayeoba-Alagbada, the government said the gesture was in furtherance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration’s commitment to the welfare of the ordinary people who deserve this form of support from the government.

It explained that the free train is expected to move from Lagos twice to Osogbo and will operate only one trip for the post-sallah return journey.

According to the statement, “the first train moves from Lagos on Wednesday August 30th, 2017 at exactly 10.00am from the Iddo Terminus, Lagos enroute our usual Ikeja, through Ogun and Oyo State to end the journey in Osogbo. Another one leaves at the same time on Thursday August 31st, 2017 through the same route down to Osogbo.”

“After the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, the train leaves Osogbo on Sunday September 3rd, 2017 for Lagos. This we have concluded as the plan for this year’s Eid-el-Kabir festival.”

While expressing the hope that the free train provided by the government would give Osun indigenes in particular the opportunities to return home in order to savor the joy of the festival with their relatives, Jayeoba-Alagbada said “this is one of the social protection projects of the Aregbesola administration and since we commenced this more than six years ago, we have not looked back.

“Even in the face of very harsh financial constraints, we have strived to keep this offer going convinced that it has offered great opportunities for our people and helped their finances as well”, he added.