Kwara State Government task force on Monday raided some filling stations within the Ilorin metropolis, in the bid to tackle the lingering fuel scarcity in the state.
The government cautioned the filling stations against hoarding of fuel which it declared imposes needless hardship on the masses.
Leader of the team, and Chief of Staff, Government House, Prince Mahe Abdulkadir, disclosed that the committee set up by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is tasked to attend to the problem of fuel shortage.
“As a responsible and responsive government, we cannot be folding our hands watching. We have to see that the majority of our people enjoy the dividends of democracy,” Prince Abdulkadir told reporters during the exercise.
“We observed that the major marketers are doing their best so far because we checked their pits,” he added.
Prince Abdulkadir also appealed to the people of the state to be patient and avoid panic-buying.
“We want to call on the people of the state to be patient and avoid panic buying, the federal government is not trying to increase the prices of fuel. We will make sure our people are not shortchanged,” he stated.
Filling stations inspected 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 charged the management of fuel stations dispensing fuel across the state to properly organise their customers to ensure orderliness.
At Rainoil Filling Station Asa Dam, NNPC Gerin Alimi, and NNPC Surulere, the team confirmed that there was enough fuel in their pits and encouraged them to continue to sell in an orderly manner.
Some of the managers promised to avoid hoarding in the interest of the state.
In their reactions, some motorists on queue appealed to the government to continue to monitor sales of fuel to check hoarding and reduce hardship occasioned by fuel scarcity in the state.