Residents of Ekiti state on Tuesday felt a sigh of relief as striking members of the state chapter of Petroleum Dealers Association of Nigeria, announced the suspension of their indefinite strike declared on Monday.
DAILY POST reports that Secretary of the association in the state, Alhaji suleiman Akinbami, however, clarified to newsmen in Ado Ekiti that the strike was merely suspended but not totally called – off.
According to him, the development was informed by the need to accord respect to top traditional rulers as well as elders who intervened in the matter.
Besides,he said the growing appeals mounted by suffering members of the public also informed their action.
He, however, warned that the association would resume its suspended action if the state government still goes ahead to implement its threat to revoke all approvals made in respect of fuel stations built in residential areas.
DAILY POST reports that virtually all economic activities were paralyzed in many parts of the state in the afternoon of Tuesday before the suspension.
Many concerned residents of some major towns lamented the difficulties they were going through as a result of the indefinite strike embarked upon by the fuel marketers since Monday.
Some of them, parents, complained that their children and wards could not go to schools as school buses that usually conveyed them to and from school did not come to pick them on account of non availability of fuel.
Others who spoke with a DAILY POST in Ado Ekiti, Ikere Ekiti, Ifaki Ekiti and Iworoko Ekiti said life had not been bearable for them sinc the fuel marketers closed shop.
Three Artisans, kunle Dada,a battery charger, Funke Adeola, a hairdresser -Jayeola Akinola said few of them that managed to open shop had no choice but to fully depend on generators to power their equipment.
While expressing gratitude to the fuel dealers for suspending the strike, they also expressed appreciation to the government for its new policy, saying it was targeted at protecting lives and property.
They however appealed to the state government to also shift grounds by relaxing some of the new policies in the interest of commerce and economy.
As at the time of filing this report, many vehicle owners and Okada riders had begun flooding the various fuel stations to re-fill their tanks after the almost 30-hours break.
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