Kwara govt sets up task force to address fuel scarcity

Worried by the impact of fuel scarcity on people of Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, has approved the constitution of a task force on the control and sale of premium motor spirit (PMS) in the state.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Isiaka Gold, who made this known in a statement on Thursday, said that the fuel crisis had reached a disturbing dimension as only a few filling stations in the state now have and sell the product.

Gold noted that in order to arrest the situation and to prevent further hardship on the people, it became expedient State government set up a task force to monitor the unwholesome activities of hoarders and black marketers that have aggravated the problem.

According to the statement, the task force is to among other functions, identify all bottlenecks to the free flow/supply of PMS and other petroleum products and find immediate solutions to them.

It will also detect all petrol stations, marketers and their agents who have become a cog in the free flow of petrol and bring them to book, and ensure that all products being hoarded are dispensed to the public with immediate effect.

The statement said that the task force will liaise with the NNPC Depot at Oke-Oyi for joint patrol towards breaking the syndicate involved in petroleum products hoarding and bring the culprits to book.

Additionally, the task force will put all machinery in motion to ensure immediate uninterrupted supply of petrol and allied products across the State to ensure a smooth Christmas and New Year celebrations.

According to the statement, the State Commissioner for Commerce and Cooperatives, Alhaja Funmilayo Isiaka Oniwa is to chair the task force, while the Director Special Services, Alhaji S.B Mohammed will serve as Secretary.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security; Alhaji Amusa Bello, Special Adviser, Emergency; Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, Senior Special Assistant, Security Intelligence, Alhaji Abdulsalami Bolakale and Chairman of the State’s Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Okanlawon Olanrewaju are members of the task force.

Other members are State Chairmen of Petroleum Tankers Drivers and representatives of the State Commissioner of Police, Director of State Security Service and Representative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).