Hoard petrol, lose your land – Edo state govt. warns fuel marketers
Oredola Adeola
The Edo State government has cautioned petroleum product marketers against hoarding the Premium Motor Spirit(PMS) also known as petrol, threatening to revoke the permits of filling stations that are deliberately not selling to motorists and other users, following the pronouncement of President Bola Tinubu to end payment of petrol subsidy based on the arrangement made by his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Osaigbovo Iyoha, Chief of Staff, Edo State Government, in a statement obtained by EnergyDay on Monday, warned that the properties of stations or fuel dealers caught hoarding the petroleum product will be sealed off by the government.
Iyoha in the statement said, “The attention of Edo State Government has been drawn to the unscrupulous attempt by petrol dealers in the state to hoard fuel and create artificial scarcity and price hike.
“As a responsible government that cares for her citizens, we shall resist this economic sabotage by every legal means possible.
The Edo State Government CoS, therefore, ordered the stations across the state to immediately resume sales of products to Edo people or risk immediate closure.
He also threatened that the government may be forced to revoke the properties of some of the defaulting dealers in order to enable others who want to do legitimate and respectful business in Edo State to invest in the sector.
He said, “We cannot continue to allow extortion of our people in whatever guise.”
Residents of Benin City have lamented over the scarcity that greeted the pronouncement of President Tinubu on Monday.
Dr. Oniovokukor Bright, a human right activist, who is a resident of the Benin City in a tweet disclosed that in less than 3hours after President Tinubu mentioned fuel subsidy removal many filling stations are not selling to customers, while others have increased their price to N300.00/litre.
Dr. Oniovokukor also hinted that immediately after the remark by President Tinubu, fuel scarcity surfaced in Benin City.
