BY TOSIN ADERIBIGBE
Residents of Akure, Ondo State have appealed to the federal government and other stakeholders to urgently revive the nation’s moribound refineries as a lasting solution to fuel crisis in Nigeria.
They made the appeal against the backdrop of the lingering fuel scarcity which is biting harder by the day in the state capital.
Positive fm went round some filling stations on Ondo road, Oba-ile, and Arakale areas of Akure.
In what started like a child’s play, the ongoing fuel crisis has lasted three weeks in Akure, with no clear solution in sight.
Both motorists and commuters struggle day and night to get fuel from the few filling stations dispensing the product amidst frustration, shouts and atimes confrontations by consumers who deployed different means to get the product which now sells between one hundred and sixty five naira and three hundred naira.
Two of the residents, Olanrewaju Omolayo, Kola Olawuyi and Mrs Deola Akintunde said being on the queue for long hours did not guarantee them of getting the product eventually, calling on the federal government to as a matter of urgently put the nation’s refineries in good shape to end cases of fuel scarcity in the country.
On their parts, two parents, Mrs Tolulope Ekundayo and Mrs Folake Ojo decried the one hundred percent increase in transport fare as a result of the fuel scarcity.
All the respondents appealed to the federal government to urgently end the current situation.
Meanwhile, the long queues at filling stations are now resulting in gridlock even as most dualized roads have been turned to a single lane due to indiscriminate parking by motorists, a situation which had led to minor accidents on Ondo road in the last few days.
When contacted on the need to ensure free flow traffic on the affected roads, special adviser to Ondo state governor on transport, Mr Tobi Ogunleye said his office would look into the matter.