Akungba Crash: AAUA Alumni calls for Immediate Relocation of traders

*** “Akungba ‘massacre’ too much to bear” – Monarch

Following last Saturday accident that claimed many lives , the Adekunle Ajasin University Alumni Association has urged Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to as a matter of urgency relocate traders in the road side market at Akungba to a safer place to avert recurrence.

The accident involved a truck conveying bags of rice and rammed into a road side market, killing 16 , leaving 18 others seriously injured.

Worldwide President of the association, Mr. Kunle Adetoba made the call when he led a delegates of the Executive Council of the Alumni Association to pay a condolence visit to the monarch of the host community of the Institution, Akungba Akoko, Oba Sunday Adeyeye.

The President, who was represented by the Chairman of the Akungba Branch of the Association, Dr. Layi Oladipupo, said the traders could be relocated from the scene of the accident to the primary location of the market (Atiba market).

Other measures recommended by the alumni body to prevent such gory incidence in the future included, restricting traffic time for trucks plying the road from 10:00PM to 6:00AM; barricading the road sides; and upgrading the road to a dual carriage status.

Mr. Adetoba described the ill-fated incidence as an irreparable loss to not just the family of the victims, but also the Akungba Community, the University Community and Ondo State.

He commiserated with the Akungba Community and the families of the victims, praying God for divine consolations.

Responding, Oba Adeyeye who received the delegates in his palace alongside his chiefs, thanked the alumni body for identifying with the community in this trying time, describing the accident as “Akungba ‘massacre’ that is too much to bear”.

The Monarch noted that Governor, Akeredolu, has already approved the relocation of the market from the road side, and compensations to the families of the victims.

He said the state government was also considering construction of barricades along the sides of the road.

Meanwhile, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, has revealed to the delegates of the alumni body who had a stop-over in his office, that the University has started the process establishing a Mammy Market within the campus.

Prof. Ige said, “Already, we have set up committee which has two weeks’ timeline to come up with what the University could do to mitigate future occurrence. Besides that, we have also moved to establish a Mammy Market on campus. The space should be ready before we ask our students to resume to campus.”