The scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit commonly known as petrol bit harder in Ekiti State yesterday as most filling stations in the state were closed.
The few stations, mostly those of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and major marketers, which opened witnessed long queues with motorists and cyclists spending hours on queue.
Fuel queues resurfaced in the state and across the country on Friday when most filling stations did not open. Many car owners have been forced to park there cars at home.
On Saturday, black market sellers were seen selling petrol in jerry cans at exhorbitant prices on major streets.
However, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has appealed to owners and operators of filling stations in the state to desist from hoarding petroleum products thereby creating artificial fuel scarcity in the state.
In a statement on Saturday by the Chief Press to the Governor, Yinka Oyebode, Fayemi, who described hoarding of petroleum product as “an act of economic sabotage, which creates uncesessary hardship for the people and cripples businesses.” The statement added, “Any filling station caught hoarding fuel will receive heavy sanction”.
Oyebode said monitoring teams had been dispatched to go round filling stations in the state and ensure that no filling station hoarded fuel to the detriment of the people.
Source: THISDAY
