Residents, traders protest indiscriminate siting of gas stations in Ondo

Commercial activities were on Saturday partially paralyzed at Road Block area of Akure, the Ondo State capital as residents of Ireakari and Temidire quarters protested against the alleged indiscriminate siting of gas stations, also known as Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG within the area.

The protest, which prevented free flow of traffic as vehicular movement for several hours, was triggered by a fire incident that gutted some shops within the densely populated area on Friday.

According to the protesters, gas stations situated within their locality could lead to fire incident that would consume the entire neighborhood.

Two of the protesters, a youth leader in the area, Abayomi Ajijola-Ajofe and a trader Kazeem Jinadu, told DAILY POST that residents would resist any attempt by the petrol dealers to induce officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, or that of the state government to approve such new gas stations within the axis.

Ajijola emphasized that, “we are protesting because we don’t want another gas station in our area, we have one already, that is okay.”

The Youth leader threatened, “we (youths) will take unpleasant actions against the dealers of the proposed gas stations, we learnt one government’s agency (DPR) has given them license or permission to operate, we will not take it, they should withdraw the licence now or else, we will make this area unpleasant for them.”

Also the Chairman of Temidire Landlords’ Association, Ibrahim Adeuyi called on the Ondo state government and the DPR to withdraw the certificate of allocation.

Another trader and one of the protesters, Mrs Jumoke Akinsele added that, “we plank sellers here appeal to our baba, governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to stop the location of another gas station. Most of us are widows, this where we get money to feed our children and send them to school, we don’t want fire to consume our good.”

The residents said they had written a petition to the state government and the DPR not to allow another gas station in the area again.

Meanwhile, one of the fire incident victims in the area, Mrs Monisola Adewumi pleaded with the state government to come to her aid as she took loans to set up her business.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, this week officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, in conjunction with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, had started clamping down on roadside dealers on cooking gas.