The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned owners of filling stations not to allow desperate motorists to create multiple fuel queues around the entrance of their stations in the territory.
The Mandate Secretary, FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Abdullahi Candido, issued the warning when he led officials of the administration on enforcement to various filling stations across the territory on Thursday in Abuja.
Candido expressed disappointment with some of the managers of the stations who had allowed multiple fuel queues leading to chaotic traffic situations around their vicinity.
The secretary and members of his team swung into action as soon as they arrived at Total filling station located in Area 11, where they forced desperate motorists queuing inappropriately to buy fuel were turned back.
He urged the station managers to put in place all necessary machinery that would enable them to tackle the menace, warning that the administration would not hesitate to seal off filling stations that failed to comply with the directives.
Candido further expressed concerns over how the situation, which had characterized Abuja roads since the fuel scarcity crisis started, had affected smooth vehicular navigation across FCT roads and also defaced the city.
“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 situation is not 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 stations 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 two 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 secretariat intends to serve. The primary part of it is that the transportation Secretariat will seal off any filling station that goes contrary to this instructions.
“There are other measures that can be taken but first and foremost, any station that obstructs vehicles to have access or right of way, such filling stations will be sealed and of course get further punishments before they are reopened.”
Candido noted that the transportation secretariat was collaborating with the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, to ensure continuous monitoring of filling stations until compliance was achieved.
“There is going to be continuous monitoring and the secretariat is also going to stand by 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.”
(NAN)
