NEMA, NNPC, DPR TO Restrict Gas Stations Licensing In Residential Areas
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) are to restrict the siting of gas stations in residential areas.
The acting Director-General of NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed this in an interview with InsideBusiness.ng on Thursday while responding to an inquiry on the Ipaja gas station explosion.
The decision followed Thursday’s early morning explosion at Bestroof Gas Station in Baruwa, Ipaja area of Lagos State, which killed eight persons and destroyed 25 houses, 16 lock-up shops and one primary school.
Farinloye said NEMA and the other relevant institutions would soon take action concerning the siting of gas stations in residential and densely populated areas.
He stated that NEMA would collaborate with relevant bodies, including NNPC, DPR, Gas Company of Nigeria (GCN) and other appropriate organisations to address the anomaly.
NEMA, he added, observed during its assessment that the gas station is sited in a populated area.
In addition, he noted that the emergency preparedness of the station was very low, and that there wasn’t any fire-extinguisher within the area.
Farinloye said, “The siting of gas plant in a populated area is an issue of concern and we are working on that already. Such will not be repeated. Second thing is that while this case is special, the emergency preparedness was at the lowest because we did not see any sign of fire extinguisher within the area. These are the issues that we are going to tackle subsequently.
“We have DPR with us and we have carried our assessment. After our assessment, all other things will be done accordingly.
“We are going to work on people building gas stations within residential areas. These are some of the observations we just got.
“NEMA will take the necessary action. The agency is not going to do it alone. It will work with NNPC, DPR and Gas Company of Nigeria and others. It is a joint decision that will be taken.”
He added, “We would not know what caused the explosion but based on accounts, it was revealed that while they were trying to discharge gas into a tank, and the generator was put on, due to the pressurised area, there was leakage and it led to the explosion.”
The Director-General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed eight persons died in the explosion while 25 houses and 16 lock-up shops were destroyed.
He said, “The explosion occurred and the agency activated a response plan. The initial disaster assessment is as follows: casualties still being assessed but eight fatalities have been identified so far. 25 houses that are mostly bungalows, 16 lock-up shops, and one primary school have been affected.”
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