By Charles Adingupu
As commuters and motorists continue to bear the brunt of the sudden fuel scarcity that followed the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu, the Osun State Government has threatened to seal off filling stations hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol.
Governor Ademola Adeleke in a statement signed by his spokesman, Olawole Rasheed, warned that “any filling station found guilty of hoarding fuel to create artificial scarcity shall be sealed off, and operators prosecuted for crime of economic sabotage.”
The fresh fuel scarcity in the country followed the pronouncement by Nigeria’s new President, Bola Tinubu who said on Monday during his inauguration that the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended.
“Fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu declared in his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square on May 29 after he was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th President.
The former Lagos State governor said the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and more so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has since backed Tinubu on the removal of fuel subsidy.
Fuel queues have since resurfaced across the country since the presidential pronouncement as Nigerians forage for the premium product.
In its warning to marketers, the Osun State Government said the deliberate hoarding of PMS by the fuel dealers within the state as a result of Tinubu’s statement has caused 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.
