Lagos orders Filling Stations on highways to close by 4pm or be sanctioned

Despite biting fuel scarcity, the Lagos State Government has ordered all filling stations on the state’s highways to operate between 9.00am and 4.00pm each day.

The move, the government said, was to curb massive gridlock occasioned by filling stations dispensing fuel on the highways.

Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, in a statement on Thursday, said filling stations on the highways that failed to heed to order would be sanctioned.

“In view of the lingering fuel scarcity across the country, which has continued to affect the free-flow of traffic in Lagos, the State Government has initiated a move to regulate activities of major and Independent Petroleum Marketers operating along major roads and traffic prone areas within the State.

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“The move becomes imperative in order to check indiscriminate activities of motorists queuing up to buy petroleum products who oftentimes, park carelessly on the roads and bridges, therefore impeding free flow of traffic,” he said.

According to Oladeinde, “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.

“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, we admonished all major and Independent Petroleum Marketers to comply with this directive or be sanctioned.”