The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has commended the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on its plan to site a mega station in Ile-Ife.
Oba Ogunwusi gave the commendation when the Management of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Osogbo Field Office, paid a courtesy visit to his palace in Ile-Ife on Thursday.
The monarch said Ile-Ife was ripe for the proposed mega station.
He described the ancient town as a strategic link for motorists traveling to the West of the country from the South, the North, the East and returning to those parts of the country.
The Ooni said that the mega station when it becomes functional would also boost the economy of the town.
“Since the creation of Nigeria, Ile-Ife has been playing strategic roles in linking the Southern part to the Northern and the Eastern parts.
“Anyone traveling to either the North or East of the country must pass through the town, but with the strategic location of the town, there is no NNPC mega station there.
“ I am happy today that the management of the NNPC has finally listened to my appeal to site a mega station here”, the monarch said.
Oba Ogunwusi also urged the DPR staff to continue to discharge their duties with integrity.
Earlier in his remarks, Mr Ademola Makinde, the DPR Operations Controllers, Osogbo field office, thanked the monarch for welcoming them to his palace.
He said that the management of the DPR decided to visit the monarch because of the support of traditional rulers in the fight against the hoarding of petroleum products.
He added that the visit to the monarch was also because of the under-dispensing at filling stations across the state.
Makinde said that the DPR believed that traditional rulers have a positive influence on their subjects including those in the oil and gas business.
He said that traditional rulers’ support in educating their subjects on the need to be upright was, therefore, very important.
He also said that the visit to Ooni was also to inform him of the presence of DPR in the state.
The controller noted that there were no fuel depots or pipelines in the state.
He, however, said that the department would continue to monitor the activities of petroleum marketers and gas operators in the state.
Makinde said that it was disheartening the way some independent marketers were engaging in sharp practices.
He said that the DPR would not relent in its surveillance aimed at curbing sharp practices within the sector in the state.
He said that surveillance was part of the core mandates of the DPR to ensure that the masses were not short-changed by petroleum marketers.
“We are here to pay homage to Ooni and to solicit his support for our operations in the state.
“Traditional rulers are an integral part of our society and their support for our operations cannot be over-emphasized,” Makinde said.
Makinde, therefore, appealed to the people of the state to always report any sharp practice at filling stations to the department in Osogbo.
