Tanker fire: NGF seeks safer transportation for petroleum products
Following the tanker fire that killed no fewer than five persons and destroyed over 120 vehicles and houses along the Indorama axis of the East-West road, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has called for the adoption of safer methods of transportation of petroleum products across the country.
Chairman of the forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, revealed, yesterday, that discussions were advancing among the 36 governors and relevant federal agencies in the oil and gas industry to achieve the objective.
He stated this yesterday in Government House, Port Harcourt, when he visited to commiserate with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and the people of the state over Friday night’s tanker inferno in the Eleme area of the state.
AbdulRazaq, who is also the Governor of Kwara State, recalled a similar carnage in Ogun State, which was caused by a tanker conveying compressed natural gas (CNG) that impacted lives.
AbdulRazaq described what happened in Rivers State as a huge loss, and said his meeting with Fubara allowed them to have peer review discussions over the recurring decimal.
“I came over to commiserate with the government and people of Rivers State over the tanker fire incident and the subsequent huge loss of lives. We have peer review discussions over it.
“We also spoke with the Head of the Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency, and there will be a review of some laws. There will also be engagement between the Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency and state agencies in terms of ensuring health and safety on these issues.
“As you know, Nigeria relies a lot, virtually, on pipelines for the movement of petroleum products, and we need to strengthen regulations in that sector, and also emphasise improving and expanding pipelines for the transportation of products as well,” the NGF chairman added.
MEANWHILE, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has ordered that some of the buildings affected by Saturday’s gas explosion at Ita-Oshin in Abeokuta North be evacuated.
This is to allow for integrity tests to be carried out on the affected buildings. Abiodun made this known yesterday during an assessment of the damage done to properties and businesses around the area.
Abiodun also promised that those whose properties were damaged or destroyed would be adequately compensated by his administration, while the state government would also take over the treatment of those in the hospital.
He said: “As a responsible state government, our emergency management team has taken stock of all those businesses and residences that have been affected by this unfortunate incident.
“What happened, yesterday, threw up a lot of questions, far-ranging questions. The issues around safety, issues around regulation, issues around road worthiness of the modes of transportation, and issues around the required regulatory oversight for the entire industry must be looked into.”
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