Adewale Sanyaolu
Consumers in major plants of Lagos yesterday stormed majority of the fuel retails and cooking gas plants ahead of the Lockdown which takes effect last night.
The consumers in separate interview with Daily Sun explained that their action was as a result of the lockdown in Lagos which takes effect by 11pm last night. They lamented that the power situation has been erratic, hence their decision to fill up their generation sets fill up their cars in preparation for the lockdown.
Most of the fuel stations had a hectic time, coping with the upsurge in the number of consumers who had besieged their retail outlets.
It was equally the same scenario at cooking gas plants as consumers queued in their numbers to fill up their cylinders in order not to be caught unaware.
Some of the consumers told Daily Sun that since schools has been shut down and children are at home, the rate at which they will be cooking will be on the increase which will lead to them exhausting the gas ahead of time.
The consumers were seen making last minute efforts to fill up their extra gas cylinders alongside those that are already half filled.
Meanwhile, the President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, has directed its members across the country to open for business in the wake of the shutdown in Lagos, Ogun and the FCT.
A statement signed by the National Operations Controller of IPMAN, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, said the directive on the Stay at Home Order as a result of the coronavirus pandemic as announced by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday does not apply to petroleum distribution and retail stations nationwide.
“All members of the association should work with other stakeholders in the downstream sector in ensuring seamless loading operation in both private and NNPC depots nationwide.