Fuel crisis escalates in Ilorin, as motorists seek govt intervention
The shortage in the supply of petrol otherwise known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to Ilorin and its environs, which began penultimate week may have escalated with no sign of the crisis ending anytime soon.
Many major and independent marketers of the fuel within the metropolis shut their gates against customers, indicating that they might have run out of stocks.
The latest situation seemed to have dashed the hope of users, who had anticipated the fuel crisis would subside in a shortest possible time.
Investigations conducted by The Herald in Ilorin on Thursday revealed that the problem had degenerated into a serious hardship as motorists and other users of the commodity spend much time queuing in few filling stations that were dispensing to members of the public.
At Bollyma petrol station along Fate Road, which was the only one selling fuel to the users, long queues of cars were seen with motorists struggling to procure the product while other stations including Rockfield, Real Gold and Conoil on the same road remained shut around 2pm when The Herald arrived the area.
Similarly, all filling stations along Old Jebba road were completely deserted as none of them dispensed fuel to users.
A visit to Post-Office area also showed that both the major and independent marketers were not selling to the public while their gates remained closed.
It was however gathered that some stations were hoarding the product to be able to sell it to black marketers who will in turn sell to desperate users at outrageous prices.
When The Herald visited Maraba area yesterday afternoon, some black marketers were seen attending to some motorists while others displayed the product on the road to attract prospective customers.
Some motorists, who spoke with Herald's correspondent at Bollyma filling station, regretted the lingering fuel scarcity in the state capital and pleaded with relevant agencies of government to intervene on time.
In a telephone chat yesterday, the state chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Mr Abdulrasheed Olopade, attributed the brewing petrol crisis to the unavailability of the product in the Oke-Oyi depot of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.
He said the volume accrued to the depot was hanging in Ibadan due to the incessant vandalization of oil pipeline on Ogbomoso road, adding that the marketers had ceased loading from Oke-Oyi depot.
Olopade maintained that the withdrawal of private security personnel on oil installation had exposed the pipeline to precarious situation with vandals wreaking havoc on regular basis.
He said, "We've stopped loading in Oke-Oyi because of unavailability of the product. Our volume is hanging in Ibadan, and until something urgent is done to the incessant attack on oil pipeline, the problem of fuel shortage would persist.
"We call on stakeholders to rise to the insecurity issue on our pipeline".
The IPMAN boss called for collaborative efforts of locals to curb vandalism.
All efforts to reach the Special Assistant on Petroleum Monitoring, Alhaji Isiaka Lawal Amubieya, to comment on the development failed, as his mobile phone was switched off till the time of filing this report.
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
ASUU Ballah Rueben Parejo Akeem Olatunji Isaac Gbenle Igbaja Doyin Group Maigida Soludero Transit Oba-Solagberu Park KWAFFA Shehu Salau Shola Odetundun Umar Yakubu Jaja Royal FM Sam Onile Raheem Adaramaja Musbau A. Akanji Age AbdulKareem Justina Oha Lanre Olosunde Playing Host Pacify Labs Zulu Gambari Bello Oyedepo Valsolar-Kwara Company Limited Kisira IESA Labour Party Orisun Igbomina Taofeek Ibraheem Ajike People Support Centre Abdulquawiy Olododo Dairo Kunle Paul Sobi Specialist Hospital Umar Ahmed Gunu Abdulkadir Jimoh Ndama Al-hassan Sanitation Exercise Idowu Aremu Akom Construction And Engineering Synergy Ltd Lateef Alagbonsi Salihu Ajia Ahmad Olanrewaju Belgore Aliyu Kora-Sabi Emmanuel Bello Ijagbo Durbar Festival Yomi Ogunsola Jide Ashonibare UNIFEMGA Alapado Ahmad Uthman Mahmud Ayinla Giwa Isa Aremu Onilorin Of Ilorin Trade Lenda SME Fair Saidu Yaro Musa Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants Ltd Senior Staff Union Of Colleges Of Education Fawenu Aisha Gobir Share-Tsaragi Olomu Of Omu-Aran Federal Road Maintenance Agency Bayer AG Otuka Mohammed Tunde-Jimoh Habeeb Abdullahi Al-Ilory Sulyman Buhari Magaji Are Mutawali Of Ilorin Gabriel Fashanu Wahab Issa Gobir Arinola Lawal Abdulfatai Salman Baakini

