As the petrol crisis hitting Ekiti State becomes messier , the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and Council of Elders, have pleaded with the striking petrol marketers to suspend their three week-old industrial action and return to work to prevent Ekiti’s economy from total collapse. The statesmen regretted that a situation whereby petrol was being openly hawked by black marketers portends serious danger to the state
aside from the economic crisis the state had been plunged into since petrol supply to Ekiti was stopped by the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and
Natural Gas(NUPENG) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN). Meanwhile, information filtering from the marketers revealed that part of the criteria for peaceful resolution of the impasse which they will table before the mediating groups would be the rebuilding of the two petrol stations that were damaged by hoodlums.
Some suspected thugs had last week attacked two petrol stations belonging to members of IPMAN in Ekiti, which the union had said was allegedly orchestrated by the state government based on Governor Ayodele Fayose’s earlier comment that some transporters would have
vandalised some petrol stations but for his intervention.
The Secretary General of the Elders Council, Mr. Niyi Ajibulu, said the parley with the marketers held at the palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti , Oba Rufus Adejugbe on Saturday , was attended by IPMAN members, led by Chief Remi Oguntuase, three other prominent traditional rulers and many elderstatesmen.
Also in attendance were leaders of the Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC) , Christian and Muslim leaders , market men and women as well as transport unions in the State.
Ajibulu who read the communiqué said they appealed to the two feuding parties to stop muscle-flexing and shift grounds in the overall interest of the populace.
The communique reads: “We observed with regret , the disagreement between the State government and the fuel marketers leading to total shut of all petrol stations in Ekiti. We appeal to the parties to shift grounds because the lingering crisis was stifling the economy and causing serious pains to our people.
“We want them to accelerate the process of reconciliation , so that acceptable terms for quick resolution of the crisis will be reached as soon as possible”.
Ajibulu said the stakeholders will meet with Governor Fayose to extract commitment from him for peaceful and expeditious resolution process, so that their mediating efforts won’t be futile.
However, a high ranking petrol dealer has insisted that the bedlam may linger for so long if the government fails to take responsibility for the damaged petrol stations and be ready to renovate those filling stations as well.
The dealer, who craved anonymity said: “Why should the government be sponsoring thugs against our businesses ? We took bank loans to build those filling stations. Let me tell you, the crisis will be difficult to resolve if the government refuses to pay damages.
“We don’t care whether this strike lasts for one year, but we must be able to prove a point that no government can bully us for doing our legitimate businesses”.
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