The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke amidst the scarcity of fuel has threatened to close down filling stations hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
“Any fuel station found guilty of hoarding fuel to create artificial scarcity shall be sealed off and operators prosecuted for crime of economic sabotage,” the governor said in a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed.
The country’s new fuel scarcity comes after Nigeria’s new President, Bola Tinubu, said on Monday that the era of fuel subsidy payments has gone.
“Fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu proclaimed in his inaugural speech as Nigeria’s 16th President on May 29 at Eagle Square.
The newly sworn-in President stated that the 2023 Budget makes no provision for fuel subsidies, and that such payments are no longer justifiable.
Tinubu has since received support from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for the elimination of gasoline subsidies.
Since the president’s announcement, fuel lines have resurfaced across the country as Nigerians search for the premium commodity.
In its warning to marketers, the Osun State Government stated that deliberate stockpiling of PMS by petrol dealers within the state as a result of Tinubu’s comments has imposed unnecessary hardship on the people of the state.
“This deliberate action is not only inhumane but unpatriotic and will not be allowed by the government.
“To this end, the Special Monitoring Team on fuel scarcity set up by His Excellency, Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke headed by the Chief of Staff, Hon Kazeem Akinleye is still effective and shall not condone any form of economic sabotage.
“As from today, 30th May 2023, the Committee shall begin special monitoring of all the filling stations across the state in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders,” the statement partly read.
