Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has cautioned oil marketers to avoid imposing needless hardship on the citizens through creation of artificial fuel scarcity in the state and beyond.

The warning is coming barely hours after reports of arbitrary increase in the pump price of fuel and artificial scarcity by marketers in the state which followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration to end fuel subsidy in the country.

“The Governor is seriously concerned about reports of sudden fuel scarcity in different parts of the state. This is totally uncalled for. He asks fuel marketers to immediately discharge fuel to the public under the normal pricing system since they had bought what they currently have at subsidised rates,” according to a Government House statement by his spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye, in Ilorin on Tuesday morning.

“Creating artificial scarcity amounts to intentional misrepresentation of the statement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on the question of fuel subsidy. The people should not be made to undergo any hardship.

“The Governor urges the marketers to desist from anything that qualifies as economic sabotage of the people. Hoarding fuel bought at subsidised price and creating panic in the state is opportunistic and will not be condoned.

“His Excellency the Deputy Governor Mr. Kayode Alabi will be leading a task force to ensure that no fuel marketer causes undue hardship to the citizens in Kwara State.”

“Fuel stations are to note that the Task Force will dip into their pits. Any filling stations found to be hoarding fuel will have their Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) revoked, among other penalties,” the statement warned.