Activities were crippled in Saki, Oke-Ogun area of Oyo state on Thursday, as residents stage a protest over the scarcity and increment in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petroleum.
According to reports, the residents identified smuggling of the product from Nigeria to Benin Republic as the factor behind the scarcity, advising the government to address the issue.
Lawal Kunle, the convener, Saki First, a social-cultural group in the town, conveyed the pains of the residents to newsmen, lamenting that the increment is affecting all businesses in the area.
He therefore made a call to the federal government to monitor the activities of petroleum marketers in the area, to ensure life is not miserable for the people of Saki.
Another resident of Saki was reported to have said many of the petroleum marketers are smuggling the product out of the country while the people of Saki are suffering.
“If petroleum price is high and we get it easily, we wouldn’t have any problem but the problem is that we don’t easily get it. No filling station is selling fuel in Saki as we speak.
“Unfortunately, the motorcyclists have increased their fare by almost 100 per cent. Even sachet water is sold for N15 in Saki. Everyone is now blaming skyrocketing prices of consumables on fuel. We cannot continue like this”, he said.