Osun State residents are grappling with intensified fuel scarcity woes as shortages persist, disrupting daily life and triggering concerns over its economic impact.
Investigations revealed that many filling stations are no longer dispensing the product while there are long queues at the few stations that are operating.
It was noticed that many filling stations in Ile Ife, Modakeke, Ilesa, Owenna, Ipetumodu Moro towns were closed. The fuel scarcity made many commuters stranded while commercial motorists hiked their fares.
In Osogbo, long queues were noticed. The situation is no different from Ede Ikirun and Iree as the queues seem to be growing by the hour.
Speaking with our correspondent, a resident of Ile Ife, Munirudeen Yusuf said, “It’s a very serious situation here in Ile Ife. Filling stations are closed. Passengers are stranded and motorists have hiked the transport fares.”
Osun Govt Reacts
The Osun State Government Taskforce on Petroleum Price Monitoring has threatened to sanction owners of petrol stations across the state who are found guilty of hoarding petroleum products to create artificial scarcity.
In a statement by the Chairman of the Taskforce and the Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Hon Kazeem Akinleye, the taskforce noted that its surveillance across the state revealed that most filling stations are hoarding petrol products, thereby worsening the fuel supply situation in the state.
The Chairman posited that surveillance activities were conducted in major towns and the state capital in the last three days and that it revealed deliberate hoarding of fuel to create artificial scarcity.
The Taskforce consequently issues strong warning to affected filling stations which are already listed as direct culprits to open up their tanks and dispense fuel to the members of the public.
The statement further tasked marketers to be public spirited in their pricing of Petroleum products, reminding them of the already harsh economic situation on the members of the public.
Failure to stop the fuel hoarding and take Humanitarian notice of prevailing economic situation in the country will lead to severe sanctions, the statement warned.
