Ondo locals lash out at petrol sellers as shortage returns
Only
24 hours after the new President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was sworn in, most filling
stations in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, ceased selling Premium Motor
Spirit, PMS, often known as petrol, to residents.
Residents
of the state awoke on Tuesday to a lack of gasoline, as motor movements were
drastically curtailed on most roadways.
While
monitoring the situation, we discovered that a number of the filling
stations distributing the goods had huge lines as customers struggled to buy.
Some
of the fueling stations selling the goods were charging between N300 and N400.
Meanwhile,
locals who were outraged by the situation slammed the petroleum marketers for
their claimed purposeful attempts to sabotage the new administration.
According
to several of those who spoke out about the issue, petrol marketers were
purposefully hoarding their stockpiles after Tinubu hinted that his
administration would not continue with the fuel subsidy system.
A
taxi driver in Akure named Kole Lawal revealed that he had been waiting for
nearly an hour at one of the filling stations at High School Junction to obtain
a few litres into his car.
Lawal
believed that the President’s statement on subsidy ought not to have an
immediate effect on the price of the product.
“We
are just our own problem in this country, not the government. Tinubu was
sworn-in on Monday, and all of a sudden they (fuel marketers) began to lock
their filling stations in anticipation of selling at a higher price.
“I
got here over an hour ago after I had driven around Akure in search of petrol.
I believe this issue of subsidy should once and for all be settled,” he said.
Another
consumer of the product, Teye Amodu, stated that the new administration must
ensure that the country is rescued from the grasp of fuel marketers.
Amodu
maintained that Nigerians are now aware of the real issue surrounding
subsidies, as he stressed that those making illegal funds from subsidies are
the ones frustrating the system.
“I
totally support the removal of subsidies. Let it be removed, and all these
shenanigans by fuel marketers should stop. They are going just too far.”
On
Monday, during his inauguration, Tinubu declared that there would no longer be
a petroleum subsidy as it was not captured in the 2023 budget.
He
disclosed that funds for subsidies will be diverted into infrastructure,
education, health sector, and job creation.
