Ilorin”s many fi lling stations without fuel
Like many other states and cities in Nigeria, Kwara occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s topography as the link between the North and South. That explains why it is referred to as the Middle Belt State. To a large extent, therefore, the state is in its own right a commercial nerve center. But in the […]
Like many other states and cities in Nigeria, Kwara occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s topography as the link between the North and South. That explains why it is referred to as the Middle Belt State. To a large extent, therefore, the state is in its own right a commercial nerve center.
But in the past three months, commercial activities in Kwara State especially Ilorin, the state capital, have been disrupted by the lingering fuel scarcity which has held the nation by the jugular despite the federal government’s recent payment of over N400 billion to petroleum marketers as subsidy.
Since the current scarcity commenced, motorists and commuters in Kwara State have been going through hell, so to say. Commercial drivers including motorcycle (okada) riders as well as private vehicle owners sleep in filling stations to refuel their tank. For many residents and visitors to Kwara who need fuel to run their businesses, the fuel situation in the state of harmony is rather unusual.
This is even despite the high number of filling stations springing up on a daily basis. Eko Trust observes that in Ilorin, the state capital, filling stations spring up like mushrooms. It is aptly described as the fastest growing business venture in the state with even people who have never been in the petroleum industry joining the business.
It is the latest investment channel for those who have money to invest. It got to a stage in Ilorin that the state House of Assembly had to wade in to control the rate at which people build filling stations without recourse to the master plan. The House, it would be recalled, recently passed a resolution stopping the construction of new filling stations in the state. Some of the owners of these new filling stations were accused of failing to secure the necessary approvals from the town planning authority before embarking on the construction of the filling stations.
Our correspondent who went round the state capital noticed many new filling stations clustered in a location. According to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), a petrol filling station should be sited 400 meters away from the next petrol station; a petrol station should be sited 50 meters away in all angles of the build-up areas to create a buffer zone for the residential house -the buffer zone can be devoted to any non-residential land use.<p>
But in Ilorin, some of these conditions and provisions are hardly taken into cognisance before a filling station is constructed. This is what irked the House of Assembly which then passed the resolution directing stoppage of new filling stations in the state capital
Residents of Kwara commend the step taken by the House, describing it as a bold one towards sanitising the state. The legislative intervention was such a courageous and valiant effort given that the people owning filling stations are the high and the mighty; the political bigwigs and the like.
However the avalanche of petrol stations in Ilorin has not in any way impacted the state going by the present experience. For over a month, 95 per cent of the independent filling stations have been under lock and key. As fuel scarcity worsens nationwide, the pain and hardship of motorists in Kwara State becomes even more severe. Only few major marketers and the mega stations and outlets of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are dispensing to motorists. The pressure is therefore too much on them since the other independent stations are not providing the required complimentary service. Investigations revealed that the present scenario was a by-product of consistent war between the independent marketers and the DPR. Stakeholders and several sources in the state told Eko Trust that the DPR fought stoutly with the independent marketers under the aegis of Independent Marketers’ Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to get them to sell at the official rate of N87.
It was learnt that during previous scarcity periods before now, the situation was not as bad as it is at the moment. Then the independent marketers sold a litre at varied prices ranging from N100, N110, N120, N130 and even N140. This did not however go down well with DPR authorities who had to rise in defence of the ‘common man’ being fleeced daily by the independent marketers. The DPR insisted that since government had not officially increased the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol, no filling station whether major or independentlyowned, should sell above N87
The independent marketers on their part argued that they could not sell at controlled price because they buy at higher prices from private depots in Lagos, adding that with the cost of transportation and other logistics added, they would go bankrupt selling at N87
The Independent Marketers were also accused of hoarding the product with the intention of selling at exorbitant prices to motorists. This, it was gathered informed recent operation by the DPR where they stormed a filling station and dispensed fuel to motorists free of charge. The station, Alkad and Sons Nigeria Ltd, situated along Olorunsogo, Ilorin, was allegedly caught hoarding a total of 2,300 litres of fuel. It was learnt that the surveillance team of the department swooped on the station following a tip-off by concerned citizens that the management of the station was hoarding the commodity. Acting on the intelligence, the team led by Operation Controller of DPR, Mr Salvation Philip, dug up the station’s stock and uncovered 2,300 litres of fuel while the station had allegedly told distraught buyers that it had exhausted the stock.
Speaking on the operation, the DPR Controller said the action of the department was in accordance with the directive of the Minister of State for Petroleum, adding that the punitive measure would serve as deterrent to other hoarders that it was no longer business as usual. Philip said the agency was poised to ensure that the commodity was properly distributed among commuters.
"We are out for surveillance because of the situation on ground, and we want to make sure that the fuel that comes in is distributed to commuters. When we got to this place (Alkad), we dug and discovered that they (management of the station) were hoarding 2,300 litres of fuel "We are giving the fuel free to fellow Nigerians that need it. It is a critical time; we have to utilise what is available. This is the second station so far caught hoarding, and the ministerial directive is that at whichever station that is caught hoarding, the fuel should be given free to the citizens. We want to use this to serve a very strong warning to all marketers that anybody caught hoarding, diverting or flouting petroleum laws and regulations, that infractions would be met with the full wrath of the law.
Let this serve as a deterrent to all intending hoarders of petroleum products," he stated. With the development, the other independent marketers seem to have seen the handwriting on the wall with regards to the readiness of the DPR to wield the big stick on erring IPMAN members. Therefore, virtually all the independent marketers have shut down since they could no longer sell at their ‘own’ fixed prices with the DPR’s sanction. This was however greeted with mixed feelings by motorists who had to queue for hours at the few major filling stations and those of NNPC dispensing fuel. But some motorists have chosen to look into the direction of neighbouring Ogbomosho in Oyo State where a litre is sold at N130
The Western Zonal Chairman of IPMAN, Alhaji Debo Ahmed who gave the IPMAN’s side of the imbroglio reiterated that members of the association were not hoarding fuel contrary to the insinuation from the government.
He said, "The current fuel scarcity is a real nagging problem but the fuel is available according to NNPC and marketers are ready to lift this product to all the filling stations to sell to the people. "We really appreciate the NNPC and the PPMC for helping us to see to the end of this fuel scarcity but at the same time, we will appreciate if marketers are given the best to do what is appropriate for the nation
"We are also ready to buy from the government depot at the rate of N77.66 instead of the private depots that sell above that price and if we can get that price from government depot as well, we would buy and sell to members of the public at the rate of N87 per liter and this would ease fuel scarcity in the country. "It is when we didn’t get from government depot that our members buy from private depots like MRS, Folawiyo, NIPCO, among others and I believe that if the government spreads the product across various depots like Ilorin, Ibadan, Arepo among others, members of IPMAN would be able to get the product on time and distribute fuel to their filling stations and the product will be available to members of the public
"So I want to tell you that we members of IPMAN don’t hoard fuel, we buy and sell. It is not even of economical importance for a marketer to buy fuel and hoard because there is no gain in that practice." On his part, the Kwara State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Issa Ore told Eko Trust that though the fuel situation is "tougher" in Kwara State, the DPR’s insistence on not allowing independent marketers to sell above N87 "is a welcome development." He however pleaded with the federal government to make the product available nationwide.