Oil blockade in Ekiti

The siege is on, courtesy of independent oil marketers. It was sure orchestrated and bound to happen. It was, perhaps, meant to throw up political turmoil.
That goal it failed to achieve, at least for now. How did Ekiti State, the “Fountain of Knowledge” arrive at this mess?
The nightmare was rolled out like a rumour on May 19, 2017. The oil marketers’ intent was crooked and suspicious. Their actions, inactions and body language were heavily tainted and biased.
It was a day to the burial of General Adeyinka Adebayo, who was former military governor of the defunct old Western Region. It was very strategic for the fuel vendors to strike.
And they did that in a devastating way, to mar the funeral of the late elder statesman and paint the state government black. They were resolute that the old man would not rest in peace. His offence? They could not point to any.
It was a showdown of a huge magnitude. They deliberately pitted themselves against Governor Ayodele Fayose. They shut down all the petrol stations in the state. They did not stop at that.
They prevented tankers bringing fuel from entering the state. This sent panic down the spines of innocent citizens. They were paying for what they knew nothing about.
These marketers missed the point. The governor insisted rules must be followed. Filling stations would no longer be allowed in residential areas. Marketers must get approvals before erecting their stations.
There was a good reason the governor did what he did. The disaster at a filling station in January exposed the fuel vendors. That station was hemmed in right in the heart of the residential and business area of Ejigbo, Ado-Ekiti.
Things were going well until that fire incident. That was when the bubble burst and things were not the same again for the residents and shop owners in the area. Everything went blank as houses and business outfits went up in flames.
After the dust settled, the victims approached the owner of the filling station for compensation to cushion the effects of their losses. They were shocked to the marrow by his sordid response.
The compensation they got was ridiculous and sickening. Elder Adebayo, chairman, Petroleum Task Force, Ekiti State, gave a succinct insight:
“When the government mandated the owner of the filling station to compensate the victims, he gave paltry sums such as N10,000 and N5,000 to people who lost millions of naira.”
Fayose would have none of this. He was visibly angry and he did not hide it.   He took up the case from there. His findings were equally loathsome: “The man (owner of the filling station) said he only has insurance for his fuel from the point of purchase to delivery in his filling stations.”
The governor then concluded rightly: “This means the oil marketer has no respect for human life and (was) not bothered about the welfare of the people who patronised him.”
This unearthed a catalogue of woes and atrocities perpetrated by these fuel vendors.
Fayose came on board again: “Many of the stations were built in business and residential areas against regulations. These and many other illegitimate dealings are what the government wants to correct and that is why we have taken them to court.”
But the marketers thought it wise to fight back. They were convinced these criminalities and illegalities must continue unabated. That is where they rake in millions and sarcastically smile to the bank. They opted to go to the trenches against government.
They then took their case to their parent national body in Abuja. They complained bitterly. They whipped up sentiments against the government.
Without hearing government’s side of the story, their parents sheepishly bought into it. They swallowed it all, hook, line and sinker. They chose to shut down the state to punish the residents.
Trust Fayose, he was never found wanting. He gave them a 24-hour ultimatum to reopen or have their certificates of occupancy revoked. The governor was not alone in the crusade to salvage the situation.
Angry youths, artisans and other stakeholders patriotically queued behind the governor. And that worked wonders. Before the expiration of the ultimatum, some filling stations threw in the towel.
Fayose is never to be arm-twisted, cajoled or cowed. He is not given to frivolities. Promptly, bulldozers went to work. One of the offending filling stations was pulled down without second thought. He personally supervised the demolition of the station at Dalemo, Ado-Ekiti.
Now, the siege laid to Ekiti by these fuel vendors is taking its toll. The barricade is becoming unbearable. Business and movement are being hampered. That is why reason must prevail.
The issue at hand needs to be looked at dispassionately. We have to disengage our minds from prejudice. The task is enormous.
During a previous strike by these oil vendors, officials of the Department of petroleum Resources and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers came calling on a fact-finding mission. They were scandalised by what they found on ground. The activities of some of the marketers nauseated them.
Many filling stations were found to be operating without approval. Others were faulted for being located in inappropriate places. Some were not insured.  Most did not have common fire fighting equipment.
A responsive and responsible government would not permit such acts of savagery and cruelty to continue. And Fayose is one who will stick to his guns on this.
The buck stops at his table. He needs the support and encouragement of everyone, including the feuding oil marketers, to have sanity in the system.

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