Date: 2017-12-13

Commuters and motorists have continued to groan as fuel scarcity persists in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital and its environs.

Findings showed that many filling stations owned by independent marketers remained shut, while majority of those owned by major marketers were not also dispensing the commodity.

It would be recalled that ?Members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) last week threatened to shut down all their filing stations in Kwara state if federal government did not caution private depot owners selling premium motor spirit (PMS) above regulated prices to their members.

The association lamented that only three trucks are been loaded for them in Ibadan depot ?while Massimi depot has also reduced the number of products sent to Ilorin.

The chairman of IPMAN in Kwara, Alhaji Okanlawon Olanrewaju disclosed this at a press briefing where he emphasised that if proper measures are not taken to avert the impending petroleum products scarcity in the state, they may be forced to close all their filling stations.

?In making real their threat, most independent marketers have shut down their filling stations thereby leading to long queues of vehicles and motorcycles at few points where filling stations were dispensing fuel in the metropolis today.

The black-marketers along Maraba motor park, Murtala Mohammed Way in Ilorin were already having a field day as they now sell a five litre gallon of fuel for N1,200. The normal price of a five-litre fuel is N750,00.

Most of the commuters and motorists that spoke with our correspondent lamented the hoarding of the commodity and appealed to the federal government to find a lasting solution to the perennial fuel scarcity in every December and January.

They frowned at government's poor handling of issues affecting majority of the people, especially fuel scarcity.

Also reacting to the development, the Kwara state chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alh Aliyu Issa-Ore, lamented that it had inflicted hardship on members of the union.

Issa-Ore alleged that many filling stations had adjusted their meter and pump price despite the fact that transporters have not increased the transportation fare.

The NURTW Chairman therefore appealed for quick intervention of the federal government to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.

?Also, the Nigeria Security and Civil defence Corp (NSCDC) Kwara command has warned petroleum marketers in the state against diversion, hoarding and black-market of petroleum products in all parts of the state.

A statement signed by the spokesperson of the Corps, Mr Henry Bikesanmi in llorin said the Corps will revoke operation licences of any marketer who indulge in sharp practices.

The statement said the surveillance squad on pipeline vandalism are on the look out to arrest recalcitrant marketers in any part of the state. The Corps warned that any filling station dispensing fuel above official pump price will be sanctioned also.