Some residents of Badagry, Lagos were stranded on Tuesday as most commercial vehicles plying the area were off the road due to scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise called petrol.

A NAN correspondent, who monitored the situation, reports that many workers and business people were sighted waiting endlessly at some bus stops due to the unavailability of vehicles.

NAN further reports that the situation led to hike in transport fare as a litre of petrol in the area now sells as high as N1,000, while fare rose from N800 to N1, 500 from Badagry to Mile 2.

At some popular bus stations in Badagry – Aradagun, Mowo and Agemowo, scores of residents were seen struggling to enter a few available taxis and commercial buses.

Mr Johnson Afilaka, a Badagry resident, said he could not go to work on Monday due to an increase in transport fare from Badagry to Mile 2.

“Today, we queued up for buses, but none came. A few taxis that came raised their fares so high.

“Government should come to our aid in Badagry by providing some of the Lagos BRT buses for us here,” he said.

Mrs Christiana Adigun, a staff of the National Population Commission (NPC), said she could not drive to her office due to difficulty in getting petrol for her car.

She said that despite being willing to buy a litre at N1,000, it was difficult to get the product, adding that getting a commercial vehicle to her office also posed another challenge.

On sales of petrol in Badagry, NAN reports that only the NNPC fuel station at Aradagun and the Mobil fuel station in Badagry were selling at official prices of N568 and N610, respectively.

However, other independent marketers with fuel stations were selling between N950 and N1,000 per litre.

Mr Friday Ajasa, a motorist, said his car had been on the queue at NNPC Aradagun since 7.00.a.m, adding that as at 12.00.noon, he was yet to get the product.

“When we blame the government for the scarcity, we should as well blame petrol marketers in Badagry for the hike because they are not helping the situation.

“Some of the cars in the queue at the fuel stations in Badagry belong to cross-border illegal petrol dealers who usually take the product to the Benin Republic to re-sell.

“Most of the significant marketers here prefer to sell to them rather than sell to residents, which is the height of unpatriotic conduct.

“When these people enter, they buy up to 350 litres of petrol inside one car, and for us who just wanted 15 litres in our vehicles, they will tell you that petrol has finished,” he said.

Mrs Funke Alabi, a motorist on queue at Mobil filling station, called on security agents to check excesses of petrol pump attendants in the area.

Explaining the reason for petrol scarcity, Alhaji Abdul-Ganiyu Adelani, the Chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers, Badagry, blamed the scarcity on lack of product at NNPC tank farm.

Adelani urged the NNPC to make available more petrol in their tank farms so that all filling stations in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria would get enough supply.

Ogun State Government, on Tuesday urged residents on wetland areas to relocate to safer ground before the rain commences fully.

The rain according to the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) would commence from March and end in December, 2024 with an average rainy period of two hundred and thirty-nine days (239) and an average precipitation of 1786.5mm, affecting sixteen out of the twenty local government areas of the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ola Oresanya, who made this known during the year 2024 Ogun State Flood Alert in conjunction with the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA) held at the Olusegun Osoba Press Center, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, also said that local government areas such as Imeko-Afon, Odeda, Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South would experience the lowest rainfall.

The commissioner, while noting that people who are located in the hilly areas are going to experience erosion as a result of the speed of the water, called for calm as the state government is putting measures in place to cushion the effects of the expected heavy rainfall.

“It is either you relocate from the area or you elevate; may be you want to reconstruct your house or do some kind of elevation if you must stay in that area. Every year, we talk about relocation. It is not easy to relocate. If you must leave in those areas, make sure that your electronics, your chairs, whatever can be damaged is being elevated.

“When we talk about relocation and elevation, it is going to be predominantly around this area. People leaving within the wetland of the state are supposed to prepare for this increase in the height of the water because we are going to have a retention of this lockdown around this period.

“So, people who are located in the hill areas are going to have some kind of erosion because of the speed the water will take in running down around the Ilaro area and some areas in Ota. We are going to have what we call erosion that is going to accompany this kind of flooding for the year.

“The other areas that we will have the impact which is later on are people that are leaving within the wetland of the state and the wetland area are predominantly Southern parts of the state and this are almost flat land, low line land because this are the border towns between Lagos and Ogun State,” he said.

Oresanya also said that the state government is set to complement its various efforts at addressing the menace of flooding with the construction of 2,975.6m length of drainage channels and mini-bridges/culverts and the desilting and clearing of 56.150m length of river across the state.

“The state government wish to complement its efforts in addressing the menace of flooding by the construction of 2,975.6m length of drainage channels and mini bridges/culverts, desilt and clear 56.159m length of river/stream courses and desilt 40,000m length of drainage channels across the three senatorial districts of the state.

“Some of the areas includes construction of drainage channels and culverts at Wesley Primary School, Ijebu-Ode; reconstruction of dilapidated culvert at Saje Dumpsite road; Apakila (Abeokuta); Igbosoro (Ogijo, Sagamu), Imasai, desilting of rivers/stream courses at Yemile (Ijebu-Ode); Sensen river (Sagamu), Onibuku (Ota); Odo-funfun (Oja-Odan), Opa Aro (Isheri), Sokori river and tributaries while desilting of drainages channel will take place at Abeokuta, Ifo, Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Ilaro, Ota among others,” he said

The commissioner, who noted that the length of the raining season for the coastal areas ranges between 250 to 292 days while that of inland areas is between 200 to 250 days, encouraged farmers to start planting.

He urged fish farmers to harvest before the peak of the raining season in July and advised poultry farmers against stocking density during the period, which started two months back.

Oresanya also called on the people of the state to apply for ‘drainage permit’ before constructing their drainages.

This, he said, would ensure that drainages have the right elevation for the passage of water.

The drainage permit, he added, will guide residents against building on flood plains and wetlands unknowingly during the dry season.

In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA; Engr. Olufemi Odumosu said that OORBDA has been holistic while focusing on the structural measures for flood control.

According to him, Oyan Dam has been responsible for the supply of bulk water to Ogun and Lagos states, irrigation infrastructure for agriculture, flood control, hydro power generation potentials, researches and transportation as well as tourism which he said is yet to be fully tapped.

Odumosu mulled the need for a collaboration between OORBDA and the Ogun State government in the area of tourism, saying that the partnership would help to generate more revenue.

Ekiti students, under the aegis of the Federation of Ekiti State Students’ Union, on Tuesday demanded justice for a corps member of Ekiti origin allegedly killed by a trigger-happy policeman at Ogbomoso in Oyo State last week.

FESSU National President, Benjamin Adekunle, called for a proper investigation into the shooting and killing of the Corps member with a view to bringing the perpetrator to justice

Adekunle spoke at the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex in Ado Ekiti when he led placards carrying FESSU members, who sang solidarity songs, in a peaceful protest to the Assembly over the killing.

He said that the protest was to call the attention of the Ekiti Assembly Speaker, Adeoye Aribasoye so that he could liaise with his Oyo State counterpart to ensure justice for the deceased and the family.

Recall that students of LAUTECH had last week called for justice for the corps member allegedly killed by the police and condemned police brutality in strong terms.

The deceased, a corps member serving in Ibadan, had attended the convocation party of his brother, Oluwafemi Iyanda, in Ogbomoso when the incident whereby he was shot dead allegedly by the police happened.

The brother, Oluwafemi, a graduate of LAUTECH, had narrated, “We were at a lounge in the Under-G area for a convocation party around 2am when we heard that some people were fighting outside. When we discovered that the place was getting rowdy, we stepped out only to see policemen dispersing the crowd and shooting directly at the people.

“I sustained bullet wounds, but my brother, who came for my convocation, was shot in the head. He was confirmed dead at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital and was taken to the mortuary,” he had said.

The FESSU president told the Ekiti Assembly speaker, “We demand a swift investigation into this matter and the culprit should be brought to book. We demand for compensation for the family of the deceased.

“We also demand comprehensive medical treatment for his brother who sustained a gunshot injury. He is at home and his health is deteriorating.

“We demand an end to police brutality in Nigeria. Police should be our friend, save us and not kill us.

“We have come to the House of Assembly today to speak with the Speaker to liaise with his counterpart in Oyo State for swift justice for Iyanda Damilola and Iyanda Oluwafemi. They are from Ekiti State and raised and brought up in Ogotun Ekiti.”

Responding, the Speaker, Aribasoye, condemned the killing of the corps member, describing it as senseless

The Speaker said, “We express our condolences to the family and we condemn the killing and unprofessionalism of the police officer who murdered one of us, a youth from Ekiti State who is also serving his fatherland in cold blood.

“We condemn it and the House will be sitting. We will have a position during our plenary. Our resolutions will be passed and I know the House will condemn it. It is so unfortunate his life was cut short,” the speaker said.