Motorists and commuters across 30 local government areas in Osun state are still buying fuel at N120 per litre ten days after Nigeria’s Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) ordered fuel stations across the country to be selling petroluem product between N86 and N86.50K per litre.
From Osogbo, the state capital to Ilesa; and Ile-Ife to Okuku, all fuel stations, except NNPC and Total filling stations, sell between N100 and N120 per litre of petrol amid inadequate supply of the product to every nook and cranny of the state, which also forced commercial drivers and motocyclists to increase fares by 50 percent.
Investigations carried out by our correspondent in Ile-Ife, Ikere, Ede, Gbongan and Osogbo on Monday showed that almost all fuel stations sold premium motor spirit (PMS) between N100 – N120 per litre, except NNPC and Total filling stations though not selling the product in Osogbo and Ile-Ife as of the time of filing this report on Monday.
Some commercial drivers and ‘Okada’ riders who spoke with BusinessDay confirmed that all fuel stations defied Federal Government’s order to sell petroleum product between N86 and N86.50K and sold the product between N100 and N120 even with long queues, saying that the commercial drivers could not do anything but to transfer the burden on the commuters.
Mugisu Alani, a member of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ibadan-Osogbo unit, who spoke with BusinessDay in Osogbo, said that the drivers were hapless and could not do anything to the illegally-increased pump price of petroleum product and non-compliance with the government’s directive by petroleum marketers.
Alani noted that despite the economic crisis facing the state as a result of irregular payment of workers’ wages and salaries by the State government, petroleum marketers in the state still placed burdens on the people and aggravated the financial and economic crisis currently plaguing the state and making lives unbearable for the entire people and commuters.
An Okada driver, Albert Akanni attributed the current challenge caused by illegally-increased pump price of petroleum product by marketers to non-constitution of Osun State Executive Council by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state to assist Federal Government and NNPC in enforcing petroleum marketers to sell the product between N86 and N86.50K as ordered.
Responding on behalf of Osun State government, Sunday Akere, Consultant to the Governor on Information and Strategy, declared that non-constitution of State Executive Council by the governor did not have anything to do with the enforcement of regulated price of petroleum on the marketers as the State would soon begin enforcement of regulated price of petrol.
He told BusinessDay on phone that: ” State Executive Council that is not in place does not have anything to do with unregulated pump price of petrol as being sold by the marketers in this state. Yes, we also notice that fuel stations sell petrol at exorbitant prices, but I want to tell you the product is not enough in circulation.
“What people (marketers) are capitalising on is that our government is not unnecessary rigid and does not want to be too forceful on the people, that is why is like that. We are waiting to see improvement of (petroleum) supply to the State by month end, before we begin to enforce the regulated pump price on all the fuel stations.”
RAZAQ AYINLA
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