Gas License to come with new stringent conditions
Written by Adeola Ibrahim on May 2, 2024
Following the aftermath of the gas explosion which claimed a life in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital last Saturday, the federal government has said it would stop granting licences to gas companies with no capacity to build pipelines for gas distribution.
This has become necessary to discourage the dangerous practise of transportation of compressed natural gas through the roads.
A CNG gas truck owned by Gasco Marine had suffered a brake failure, rammed into the road barricade and went up in flames, killing one person and razing some vehicles.
This development was communicated by the minister of state for petroleum resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo, when he visited Abeokuta for an on-the-spot assessment of Saturday’s CNG explosion at ita oshin.
According to him, the development became imperative to discourage the transportation of compressed natural gas through the roads.
Ekpo, who was received into the state by Governor Dapo Abiodun and his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, stated that he was sent by President Bola Tinubu to see to the root cause of the incident and sympathise with the people of Ogun state.
Ekpo stressed that despite the incident, CNG remains a better alternative to petrol, urging Nigerians not to be discouraged. However he encouraged companies to only use the best quality cylinders for the distribution of gas to avoid incidents.
The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, boss, Farouk Ahmed, assured Nigerians that the agency was working with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and the Federal Road Safety Corps to forestall similar explosions on the road.
Ahmed maintained that some of the accidents occur due to the roadworthiness of the vehicle.
He added that training programmes are being organised for truck drivers to ensure safety on the road.
Governor Dapo Abiodun appreciated the team and President Tinubu for reaching out to the state, promising to further adopt and promote the CNG initiative of the Federal Government.
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