The FCT Administration on Thursday, has threatened to shutdown filling stations that allow desperate motorists create multiple fuel queues around entrance of their stations.
Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Abdullahi Candido, said this is to ensure that sanity returns to roads hosting filling stations and have now become theatre of chaos and traffic obstructions as the fuel scarcity persist.
Candido who led FCTA officials on enforcement to various filling stations across the territory, expressed disappointment with some of the managers of the stations who allowed multiple fuel queues leading to chaotic traffic situations around their vicinity.
The team swung into action as soon as they arrived Total filling station located in Area 11, were they forced desperate motorists queing inappropriately to buy fuel to join the original line while those attempting to force their ways into the station through the exit gate were turned back.
While urging the station managers to put in place all necessary machinery that will enable them tackle the menace, he warned that the administration will not hesitate to seal off filling stations that fails to comply with the directives.
Candido further expressed concerns over how the situation, which has characterized Abuja roads since the fuel scarcity crisis started, has not only affected smooth vehicular navigation across FCT roads, but also defaced the city.
According to him, “This operation is trying to guide all management of filling stations on how to go about the service they are doing. We are concerned about how in the course of drivers trying to fetch fuel for their vehicles, roads are blocked unnecessarily within the city and the transportation Secretariat believe that, this shouldn’t be what the city should be passing through.
“So in view of the fact that there are fuel shortages within the city, we intend to make sure that all filling station’s management are cautioned on the need for them to ensure that at every point of their stations, they only Allow a single lane for vehicles coming to fetch fuel. We do not want a situation there are 2 lanes for vehicles coming to obstruct access to other vehicles that don’t have any business to do with filling stations.
“The letter conveyed to them the kind of punishment the Secteteriat intends to serve. The primary part of it is that, The transportation Secretariat will seal off any filling station that go contrary to this instructions. There are other measures that can be taken but first and foremost, any station that obstruct vehicles to have access or right of way, such filling stations will be sealed and of course get further punishments before they are reopened”.
While speaking on how the administration intends to sustain the exercise to ensure compliance, Candido noted that the Transportation Secretariat is collaborating with the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, DRTS, to carryout continous monitoring of filling stations until compliance is achieved.
“There is going to be continuous monitoring and the secreteriat is also going to set by side its agencies like the DRTS to embark on roving monitoring to ensure that the laws being mentioned are not going to be ignored. We are going to sincerely continue with this exercise from time to time to ensure that compliance is achieved.”