Ilorin, an ancient town has become famous among its contemporary in both physical and infrastructural development.

Founded centuries ago by projenitors of diverse creed, ethnicity, religious, philosophical, ideological and political beliefs, the town known for its quietude was a toast of everyone who came in either in pursuit of wisdom, truth, knowledge, popularity and other veritable components that define existence of life.

The early settlers of the ancient town were also industrious. In the town were Islamic scholars who were revered in their own right, employers of labour, business tycoons, entrepreneurs and middlemen who carved niches for themselves in their chosen careers.

In the town that had since metamorphosed into a populous city were communities famous for their artistry vocational skills such as pottery, weaving and tie and dye among others.

For instance, Dada, a suburb of Okelele community is known as pottery industry where beautiful pot of different sizes made from mud are produced in large quantity.

Beside this, the city, which is fast ascending the status of cosmopolitan, is also reputed for weaving known in Yoruba parlance as Aso-Oke. In actual fact, there is no core community within the Ilorin city that had not one time or the other experienced weaving as a major occupation.

Despite the advent of Islamization, christianization and urbanization, which obviously altered the foundational structure of the ancient town of Ilorin, it has continued to adjust to the change, which invariably is sin qua non for physical development.

With the change becoming a yardstick for development, a situation where aversion to the tune of the moment would consign one to the rung of the ladder, the town has become a host of cottage and big industries employing large chunk of the population in factories, companies, public and private institutions.

While no village, community, town and city among others is expected to be indifferent to the wind of developmental change, what appears to be negative aspect of it calls for caution.

As the city expands so also the growing concern about the proliferation of filling stations across the strata of the metropolitan city.

There is hardly no major area within the metropolis that has not seen the springing up of filling station, thus heightening fear of consequence of such saturation.

Checks revealed that some of the new petrol station stations palpably sited in residential areas, were built contrary to the building ethics and codes.

While many filling stations have been completed in areas such as Oko-Erin, Agbo-Oba, Kuntu, Okelele, and Oloje, others are still under construction.

The untoward development caught the attention of the state House of Assembly recently after which it constituted an adhoc committee conduct a fact finding to ascertain which of the stations built with no recourse to requisite guidelines.

The growing numbers of the stations listed above may just be a tip of the iceberg compared to the multitudes of filling stations springing up in Alagbado area on the outskirts of Ilorin, state capital.

From right, left and centre, the major heart of the community is polluted by filling stations, all of them built by the roadside. And funnily enough, most of the stations were built at radius of short distance to one another.

Understandably, the trend of the proliferation of petrol stations in the city is no longer a subject for debate, what seems worrisome is the rate at which they are being floated in areas carved out as residential areas.

It is likely impossible for first time visitor to Alagbado area without opening his or her mouth aghast on the increase in the number of filling stations in the area. The stations include Aswul, Salatu Pet Nig Ltd, RIO Iyi Bare, Firstlamp Investment Ltd, L.O Atinuke, Famab Agoro Nig Ltd and Al-Nur Ventures.

The seeming proliferation smacks of suspicion as to whether the affected stations were duly approved in line with extant rules and regulations by relevant government agencies.

None of the officials of the stations were available for comment yesterday. Those met declined response when our correspondent approached them.

The Operation Controller of the Department of Petroleum Resources in the state, Mr Salvation Philip, could not be reached for comment on the proliferation of filling stations in the state as his mobile telephone number indicated that it has been switched off.

Commenting on the development, a factional chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria in Kwara State, Alhaji Olanrewaju Okanlawon, dismissed insinuation that some members of the association were behind the construction of the new petrol stations in some parts of the state.

He said some influential individuals were responsible for the projects, saying because of their ignorance on building codes and ethics, some of the stations were built in violation of the guidelines.

Okanlawon stated that only the money bags could shoulder the burden of processes involved in the construction of filling stations.

The IPMAN factional chairman maintained that no registered member of the association would constitute self into law violator and added that association was also alarmed by the scenario.

He also noted that it was not within the purview of the body to sanction anyone.

"Those stations you see springing up are not for our members. Some people with political influence were responsible. We don't even have that whooping sum to build filling stations. Or where do you expect us to get between N30million and N40million to buy and clear site and begin construction proper.

"If you see where those stations were built, one would say they had violated the rules and regulations guiding building project. The location, sometime, is not well thought out.

By and large, our members are not responsible for those projects. It is good to put the record straight so that we can correct the impression out there", Okanlawon said.

The response of the state commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Mr Muhideen Alalade, on the proliferation of petrol stations in some parts of the state was still being awaited at the time of this report yesterday.