Residents of Ogbomoso have decried incessant accidents that claimed nothing less than Fifteen (15) lives including traditional rulers in one week, which traverses the Ogbomoso metropolis from the Lagos/Ibadan/Oyo axis road.
It was a real Black Weekend in Ogbomoso, Oyo state as five separate crashes reportedly claimed nothing less than fifteen lives including three traditional rulers, and left two with tattered legs.
This sad development has triggered a sober appeal to Oyo state governor Engr. Oluseyi Makinde to consider dualizing the major trunk A road in the metropolis (North–South road) and construct flyovers at some spots notably Takie Square and Caretaker junction to reduce the frequency of carnage on the road.
Ogbomoso Insight affirmed that many lives have been lost on this particular road, which traverses the Ogbomoso metropolis from the Lagos/Ibadan/Oyo axis towards the northern part of the country.
The large number of load-laden articulated vehicles (trailers) plying the road coupled with several bad gullied portions have no doubt turned the road into a death trap harboring blood-sucking ghosts.
“I appeal to Governor Seyi Makinde to come to our aid by dualizing this road from Agric (Farm Settlement Scheme) to Aroje or Igbon,” a distraught man, who identified himself as Idowu Ashifa, told ogbomosoinisightonline.com on Saturday when a discussion arose on the incessant accidents on the road.
Continuing Mr. Ashifa said, “Only yesterday three traditional rulers reportedly died on the road, I heard of another one at Emaayo area and two today all with casualties. If the road is dualized head-on collisions will reduce.”
It would be recalled that a bad portion of the road led to the auto crash that claimed the lives of three traditional rulers on Friday at the Arinkinkin area including Olodogbo of Odogbo, Onibowula of Bowula, and Alayetoro of Ayetoro on their way to a social function.
In another accident on Friday, three motorcyclists reportedly lost their lives in the Emaayo area as a car said to be coming from the Otitoju area slammed into them on the trunk of A road when the driver instead of pressing the brake pedal as it approached the junction pressed hard on the throttle making the car to lunge forcefully forward into the okada riders and crushing them to death in one fell swoop.
Then, overnight by (3;30am Saturday), this same weekend, nine persons reportedly got burnt beyond recognition at Sekona village (well beyond the Agric area) as a petrol tanker fell during an accident, spilled its content, and caught fire leading to the burning of the nine people.
At Caretaker/Ijeru Baptist Basic School area Saturday, a trailer also crushed the legs of an Okada rider and his passenger a female during a heavy traffic snarl. The okada fell into the tyre of the articulated vehicle as it attempted to maneuver the long winding queue of vehicles. The wide deep craters on the road had ignited the hold-up.
Later in the afternoon same Saturday a heavily loaded logging truck/timber lorry (Yoruba – gbegilodo) was said to have lost control while descending the Sekoni hill towards Takie Square, tornadoing an okada man into a petrol tanker, who died on the spot.
“Two ways to reduce these road mishaps are for the government to make it dual-carriageway so that incidences of head-on collisions will reduce and will allow drivers and riders greater room for maneuvering in cases of emergencies,” another concerned resident, who witnessed the Caretaker accident, Adegbosin Michael, opined.
“The road will eventually revert to Oyo state government (or it has become the state’s) when the federal government completes the new dual carriageway linking Ibadan to Ilorin through Oyo and Ogbomoso,” Adegbosin added.
In the same vein, a shop owner who confirmed the Takie accident but spoke under condition of anonymity stressed, “It was tragic sightseeing the victim of the accident how he was crushed by the gbegilodo.
“I believe if a flyover is constructed at Takie such an accident could have been averted,” further noting, “Takie roundabout is prone to accidents, therefore putting a flyover there will be a good solution. We appeal to Governor Makinde to construct an overhead bridge at this ever-busy spot.
“After all, he once made a promise at Ogunlola Hall, Oja’gbo, to put up one. That was in his first tenure when Ogbomoso’s votes for him were minimal, in this second term when we voted massively for him let him help us to dualize the road and fulfill the promise of flyover. The Caretaker junction will also do with a flyover.”
Recall late Governor Abiola Ajimobi dualized part of the trunk A road at Takie area (Bowen to Post Office, Apake), which drastically cut down traffic snarls and accidents despite it being a full-fledged federal government-owned road at the time, “Government Makinde should do something unforgettable for Ogbomoso too in his time, though we thank him for the Ogbomoso – Iseyin highway, which he started and completed,” Quaseem Adeleke, another resident submit
Motorists and commuters in Ogbomoso also pleaded to His Excellency Engr Seyi Makinde to make his promise by erecting a flyover on the Truck A road, stressing that it’s the only way to reduce the incessant accidents and loss of lives in the area.
