The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, on Wednesday, said that the Federal Government was planning to compensate victims of last Saturday’s tanker gas explosion at Ita-Oshin, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
The fire accident, which involved a tanker of a gas truck belonging to Gascon Marine Ltd, Abeokuta, claimed the life of the driver, while about six other vehicles and two other shops were equally burnt.
The Minister also charged stakeholders in the gas industry to prioritize issues of standards and safety measures as the Federal Government won’t allow the lives of its citizens to be so endangered.
Ekpo, who came from Abuja with the Authority Chief Executive of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, said that the Federal Government delegation was in the state to assess the situation of things as far as the accident is concerned and see how to forestall a reoccurrence.
The Minister’s entourage together with the Deputy governor of the state, Noimot Salako-Oyedele visited the crash scene at Ita-Oshin, and the company which owned the ill-fated CNG truck as well as where the wreckages of the truck and other vehicles trapped in the gas explosion were kept in Abeokuta.
Speaking during the visit, the Minister said that the country is transiting to use CNG as an alternative fuel and that anything that may want to hurt the confidence of the people or make people begin to feel that CNG is not safe to use with the type of accident that happened in Abeokuta and Port Harcourt involving CNG trucks is a source of concern.
He said, “Nigeria’s gas resources are up to 208 trillion cubic feet and we have to make use of it in the way that it should be to drive the economy of this nation.
“So, what we are emphasising is maintaining safety standards because anything that falls beyond this won’t be appreciated.
“Like the Deputy Governor was talking when we visited where the cylinders were kept, we saw a crack on it which may be that it was not up to standard, maybe that was why the force or friction on it made the cylinder open and if this is not checked and we let our people installed this in their vehicles without ascertaining the standards, it will pose a danger to all involved.
“So this is a wake-up call to each of us that we should rise to the challenge of the day. We must involve the Standard Organization and the regulators to ensure that whatever is used in our vehicles is up to standard so that we don’t have a reoccurrence of this type of accident”.
Ekpo said that the Federal Government is also trying all it can do to reduce the transportation of gas by road due to its volatility saying that the success of the federal government with the AKK gas project will help a lot to get this policy on board
He said, “I have directed the Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA that for any further issuance of the licence, the company should be competent enough to pipe the gas to their end-users so that we are not exposed to this kind of danger”.
Ekpo said that while the government condoles with all that were involved in the unfortunate incident, the federal government will liaise with relevant agencies of the government to compensate the victims and cushion their losses.
The Authority Chief Executive of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Engr Farouk Ahmed, said that the agency will continue to collaborate with other agencies of the government to ensure that operators in the oil gas industry stick to standards.
Ahmed said, “The accident should not discourage us from embracing the use of CNG, it is the way to go and we must all support the transition, accidents are bound to happen but on our part as regulators we are working hand in hand with Standard Organization of Nigeria to ensure safety and standards.
“We are equally partnering with road safety to ensure the drivers of these vehicles are not only trained but also certified that their vehicles are in good shape and comply with standards. We shall continue to build on this partnership to ensure the safety of all Nigerians”.
The Managing Director of Gascon Marine Ltd., Mr Segun Ogunwunmi, during the visit to his company, said that the five-year-old company has never been involved in any mishaps as it has always adhered to the highest standards of safety.
Ogunwunmi has however pleaded with the Minister and the state government to speed up investigations and allow the company to resume operations as many critical facilities like hospitals and industries that rely on gas supply from the company are in dire straits.