…as school bus carrying pupils plunged into roadside canal
The people of Elenusonso, a community in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, have called on the state governor, Seyi Makinde; Senator Sharafadeen Alli; and House of Representatives member, Remi Oseni, to come to their aid over the dilapidated condition of their road.
The community, in an SOS message sent to Tribune Online, lamented how the road that has remained dilapidated for decades is fast becoming a death trap.
The road is the only road for thousands of civil servants, schoolchildren, artisans, market women, and bike and keke riders living in the area. The potential collapse of the road could ground the activities of these people.
The Elenusonso community, speaking through Chief Babajide Adebayo, Central Chairman of Ifesowapo Landlords/Landladies Association of Elenusonso Land, decried how the condition of the road forced a school bus carrying pupils to plunge into a roadside canal recently.
While thanking God that the incident did not result in loss of life, the Chairman said those pupils involved sustained injuries, adding that the recent incident was not the first time such a thing had happened on the road.
“We’re using this opportunity to call our attention to what’s happening in Elenusonso. We were returning home yesternight around 8pm when we saw a school bus, usually conveying pupils, which plunged into a canal. We thank God that none of those schoolchildren died as a result of the incident. We pray God put an end to everything responsible for that kind of occurrence,” the chairman said.
Continuing, the chairman begged the state governor, the lawmakers representing the zone at the National Assembly, and the Ido local council leadership to consider their plight and find a lasting solution to the situation of the road.
“We’re using this opportunity to call on the Oyo State government, Ido local council, and our representatives, both at the House and the Senate. We’re calling on them about our plight over this road.
“We’re also using this time to call on the supervisory councilor of Ido local government, Honourable Elegant, to consider the letter sent to him on 12th May 2025 and act swiftly,” he added.
Tribune Online recalls that the Elenusonso community, comprising areas like Aganni, Oyinade, Alagbaa, Ologbun, Onigaari, Maku, Aba-Ape, Oloronbo, Adugbin and Odufemi, had in a documentary video by our correspondent in September 2023, documented their plight over the road.
According to the people who spoke in the documentary, the community has never been lucky enough to get the attention of any of the successive governments in the state. They stated that no administration has graded the road, much less done thorough construction work to cushion the effects of the bad road.
Two years later, the central chairman of the Elenusonso said the road still continues to be their nightmare, especially during the rainy season, noting that no fewer than three vehicles have plunged into a roadside canal in recent times.
The chairman, on behalf of the Elenusonso community, therefore begged the state government, led by Governor Seyi Makinde; Senator representing Oyo South, Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli; House of Representatives member representing Ibarapa East/Ido federal constituency, Remi Oseni, to come to their aid.
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