Following the artificial scarcity that greeted federal government declaration of removal of fuel subsidy, Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has directed all filling stations in the state to sell fuel at approved price or risk being shut down till end of the year.
The Governor who said he was not happy with the sharp practices of some of the filling stations mandated the State Task Force on Petroleum Product and security agencies in the state to move round filling stations, starting from Wednesday morning to enforce the directive.
Governor Oyebanji gave the directives this evening at a meeting with the leadership of the National union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), members of the state task force and heads of security agencies at the Governor’s office, Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday.
He directed the task force to seal off any filling station that is culpable of hoarding petroleum product, selling at an unauthorised price, or found to have adjusted their meters.Saying erring filling stations would have their products dispensed to the public while he tasked security agencies to provide adequate security for the task force to ensure total compliance.
While responding, The marketers promised to comply with Government directives saying they would deploy their own task force to ensure compliance.
The spokesperson for IPMAN in Ekiti state, Mr Adeyinka Shodowo said executive members of IPMAN and other related associations would embark on tour of filling stations to ensure that anyone that have more than 3000 litres in their storage tanks were dispensing fuel to the people.
Saying removal of subsidy is in the best interest of the country, Mr Shodowo explained that they would not allow any station to sell above 250 per litre so as not to inflict untold hardship on the people.
The Governor who appealed to the marketers to await further directives form the Federal Government on the planned subsidy removal.
According to the Governor “We will not sit here and allow some people make life difficult for our people. The subsidy removal has not been effected. Any filling station hoarding fuel or selling at unauthorised prices would be sealed indefinitely. The Task force and the security agents will go out Wednesday morning. I have called this meeting so we can both look at the situation together because any filling station that is sealed will remain so till the end of the year.
“ No station has the right to hoard fuel. If they did not give you fuel or you have exhausted your supply, we will understand and nobody will blame you for not selling fuel” the Governor said.