The Osun State Government has on Tuesday threatened to seal off filling stations in the state hoarding petrol.
This was contained in a statement signed by the state’s governor spokesman, Olawale Rasheed.
The removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu during his inaugural speech at Eagle Square on Monday, immediately after he was sworn in created panic buying among motorists across the country.
“Any fuel station found guilty of hoarding fuel to create artificial scarcity shall be sealed off and operators prosecuted for the crime of economic sabotage,” Adeleke said.
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It added that the removal of fuel subsidy by Tinubu has caused unnecessary hardship for the people of 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.
“As from today, May 30, 2023, the Committee shall begin special monitoring of all the filling stations across the state in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders,” it added.
However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has supported the decision of Tinubu on the removal of fuel subsidy.
The head of the company, Mele Kyari explained that the company had been spending a significant portion of its profits on the product subsidy.
However, he assured Nigerians that there was no need for panic buying as the company had enough product to supply the country for the next 30 days.
