…Govt, DPR, Move To Check Fuel Scarcity
The Edo State Government yesterday commenced the payment of N20, 000 monthly stipend to four sets of Libya returnees in the state.
Speaking at Idia College, Benin City, where the returnees converged to receive the stipend, Chairman, Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, said the stipend would be paid for three months. She added that the payment commenced after the state government completed the processing of the data of those captured in the first phase.
Some of the returnees expressed their appreciation for the gesture, noting that the move to rescue and reintegrate them into society was laudable as it afforded them another chance at life. Other recipients of the stipend appealed to the state government to increase the amount, noting that they were ready to participate in the vocational training programme.
Meanwhile, the state government in collaboration with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has commenced monitoring of petrol stations in the state and has vowed to prosecute marketers found to be hoarding.
In a statement signed by Secretary to the Edo State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, he explained that the exercise is to ensure that the products allocated to Edo State are dispensed to buyers at official pump price and save the people the hardship they suffer presently at the hands of shylock marketers.
“Motorists and other users of petroleum products should refrain from panic buying that causes unnecessary queues at petrol stations and traffic congestion on major roads in the state. Marketers are hereby warned to ensure judicious dispensing of allocated products as government will not hesitate to apprehend and prosecute any erring marketer,” the statement said.
Also, Head, Down Stream, Benin Field Office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Victor Enilama advised the people to stop panic buying as the NNPC has enough. He blamed the current crisis in the sector on marketers, accusing them of racketeering and economic sabotage.
