By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Senators have resolved to investigate the recent gas tanker explosions across the country in order to recommend measures to prevent such accidents that put lives at risk, apart from causing economic damage.
The Senate on Wednesday directed its Petroleum Downstream, Gas Resources Committees to investigate the causes and report back in two weeks, based on a motion brought Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeolu (APC, Lagos West).
Adeolu said one explosion in Lagos “caused serious body injuries to no fewer than 44 persons while destroying 36 buildings including a church, an event centre and a plank market as well as destroying 26 vehicles within a radius of 300 metres.”
According to him, the explosion, caused by the burst tyre igniting a gas leak of a stuck 30 tonne gas tanker attempting to extricate itself from mud, totally destroyed multi-billion naira properties and businesses.
Adeolu recalled that two weeks later on October 10, 2020, another gas explosion occurred on Candos Road, Baruwa, Ipaja-Ayoba, in Lagos when a tanker discharging gas at a plant exploded from sparks of a power generator in the plant.
He lamented that in this second accident 18 people, including a father and child, were killed with scores sustaining injuries and 25 houses and 16 lockup shops filled with goods worth millions of naira burnt.
“The Tanker Owners Association in Nigeria estimates that over 80 per cent of all articulated vehicles as the ones involved in these incidents lack safety protocol requisite to their operations and plying of public roads,” he added.
“There have been a recurrence of similar explosions in recent times in the same Senatorial District as happened in 2016, 2018 (Abule-Egba), 2019 (Abule – Egba) 2020 (Ijegun), 2020 (Ile-Epo, Oke-Odo) and Abule Ado.”
He expressed concern that Nigerians “living and conducting legitimate businesses in my densely populated Senatorial District now live in justifiable fear of not only losing their lives or those of loved ones from these frequent explosive fire disasters but also their properties and investments.
Adeolu urged the Senate to commend officers of LASEMA, Lagos State and Federal Fire Services, the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and ordinary Nigerians for helping to put out the inferno of these explosions and mitigating their spread as well as rescuing victims.
The Senate urged the Regulatory and Licensing Authorities of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), State Town Planning Authority, the Fire Service, and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to review the safety procedures, licensing, and transportation of this combustible business.
It also urged NEMA and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to urgently send relief materials to the victims and offset the medical bills of hospitalised victims.
