EASTER holidaymakers have praised the Osun Free Easter Train Service initiative of the state government, describing it as a far-reaching palliative transportation programme for the masses.
The government said the gesture was to alleviate the people's sufferings which is one of the six-point cardinal agenda of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Majority of passengers who boarded the train from Iddo Terminus, Lagos yesterday said it was their first time travelling by rail. They radiated joy, enthusiasm and excitement all through the journey,
promising to return to Lagos through the same means.
Speaking on the initiative, the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperative and Empowerment, Mr. Jayeoba Alagbada, said:"During the festive period, we normally have traffic gridlock along our roads most especially along Lagos-Ibadan-Osogbo axis. We discovered that we could alleviate the suffering of our people by introducing this welfare train by taking people from Lagos down to Osogbo.
"This will reduce the pressure on the road and guarantee the security of lives of our people, which is very important to Osun State government. Moreso, the welfare of the people is very essential to this administration and you can see that a lot of people followed the train. And you can see form the way the commuters were talking, they were happy. Some of them never entered train in their lives until yesterday."
The Guardian