•Report by Kamil Opeyemi
The Lagos State Government has fixed timetable for filling stations operating along major roads and traffic-prone areas within the state.
The state Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, said this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.
According to him,the move by the Ministry of Transportation to regulate activities of the marketers was necessary due to lingering fuel scarcity across the country.
He added that the lingering fuel scarcity had continued to affect the free flow of traffic in Lagos.
The commissioner said that the move became imperative to check indiscriminate queuing by motorists who oftentimes park carelessly on the roads and bridges to buy petroleum products, therefore, impeding free flow of traffic.
“The move is in view of the lingering fuel scarcity across the country, which has continued to affect the free flow of traffic in the state, according to a statement by the Commissioner for Transportation,”Frederic Oladeinde.
The statement further disclosed that major and Independent Petroleum Marketers whose filling stations are situated on major highways and areas susceptible to traffic will henceforth be allowed to operate only between the hours of 9am to 4pm daily, pending when the fuel shortage crisis subsides.
It added that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), Transport Operations Compliance Unit (TOCU) and other Law Enforcement Agencies have been charged to ensure seamless flow of traffic across the State, while admonishing all major and Independent Petroleum Marketers to comply with this directive or be sanctioned.