Adeleke commiserates with victims as rainstorm wreaks havoc in Osogbo
…Truck driver trapped as billboard falls on vehicle
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has sympathised and condoled with the residents of Osogbo, the state capital, and its environs over the devastating havoc wreaked by a rainstorm on Saturday evening in some parts of the state.
The heavy rain, which started around 8 p.m., was accompanied by strong winds that destroyed many houses, with roofs blown off.
Several billboards and streetlights also collapsed, including one that affected a Coca-Cola vehicle.
One of the billboards, located near Chicken Republic in Aregbe, Osogbo, collapsed onto a Coca-Cola truck, trapping the driver for about an hour before he was rescued by residents.
It was gathered that the truck was coming from the Gbongan–Ibadan road when the billboard fell onto it.
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Sola, said it took the combined efforts of people in the area to rescue the trapped driver.
He noted that the incident showed that Nigerians are compassionate and always willing to assist others in times of distress.
According to him, residents quickly came to the victim’s aid, made calls for help, and even provided a welding machine and generator to power the equipment before the driver was rescued.
However, the governor, in a press statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, described the incident as sad, ugly, and unfortunate.
He directed the Ministry of Works, the Osun State Emergency Management Agency (OSEMA), and other relevant agencies to swing into action to clear the motorways and prevent further accidents.
The governor urged residents to prioritise actions that can mitigate natural disasters, such as tree planting, and advised against the indiscriminate felling of trees.
According to him, “On behalf of the Government and good people of my state, I sincerely sympathise with the victims of the heavy rainstorms occasioned by the devastating downpour this evening, Saturday, 28th day of March, 2026, in Osogbo and its adjoining communities.
“I must say that I feel deeply touched and alarmed by the incident, and my administration will, no doubt, put in place everything morally and officially possible through the Osun State Emergency Management Agency (OSEMA) with a view to offsetting the losses incurred by the victims in Osogbo and other communities affected by such unfortunate developments.
“I have also directed the Ministry of Works to quickly swing into action to clear the motorways to prevent further accidents.”
While blaming climate change for the increasing natural disasters, the governor said the negative effects of climate change account for his government’s concerted policy actions to combat the phenomenon.