A task force established by the Kwara State Government carried out raids on several filling stations in Ilorin on Monday as part of efforts to address the ongoing fuel scarcity in the state.
The government issued a warning to the filling stations regarding the practice of hoarding fuel, which it stated unnecessarily burdens the population.
The team, led by Prince Mahe Abdulkadir, who serves as the Chief of Staff at the Government House, revealed that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had tasked the committee with addressing the fuel shortage issue.
“As a responsible and responsive government, we cannot stand idly by. It is our duty to ensure that the majority of our citizens benefit from the fruits of democracy,” expressed Prince Abdulkadir to reporters during the operation.
“We have observed that the major fuel marketers are making efforts as evidenced by our inspections of their storage facilities,” he added.
Additionally, Prince Abdulkadir urged the state’s residents to exercise patience and refrain from panic buying.
The inspected filling stations included Total Energies Post Office Area, Rainoil Filling Station Asa Dam, NNPC Gerin Alimi, Total Energies Surulere, NNPC Surulere, and MRS Filling Station Oja-Oba.
The Chief of Staff directed the station management to organize customer queues effectively to maintain order.
Following inspections at Rainoil Filling Station Asa Dam, NNPC Gerin Alimi, and NNPC Surulere, the team confirmed an adequate fuel supply in their storage facilities and encouraged them to continue dispensing fuel in an organized manner.
Some station managers pledged to avoid hoarding fuel in the interest of the state.
Motorists waiting in queues appealed to the government to sustain monitoring efforts to prevent hoarding and alleviate the hardships resulting from fuel scarcity in the state.