BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The Osun State Government has threatened to arrest and prosecute oil marketers who hoard fuel in a bid to create artificial scarcity in the state.
A statement issued by the spokesperson for Governor Ademola Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, on Tuesday, noted that a Special Monitoring Team would move around the state to ensure that all filling stations complied with the directive.
This stern warning came on the heels of reported deliberate hoarding of Premium Motor Spirit otherwise known as petrol by fuel dealers in the state.
The statement reads, “The attention of the Osun State Government has been drawn to the deliberate hoarding of PMS by the fuel dealers within the State as a result of the statement from the Inaugural Speech of the new President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the removal of fuel subsidy, thereby causing unnecessary hardship for the people in the State.
“This deliberate action is not only inhumane but unpatriotic and will not be allowed by the government.
“To this end, the Special Monitoring Team on fuel scarcity set up by His Excellency, Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke headed by the Chief of Staff, Hon Kazeem Akinleye is still effective and shall not condone any form of economic sabotage.”
It added, “As from today, 30th May 2023, the Committee shall begin special monitoring of all the filling stations across the state in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders.
“Any fuel station found guilty of hoarding fuel to create artificial scarcity shall be sealed off and operators prosecuted for crime of economic sabotage.”