The proliferation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) stations across the country, especially in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has continued to be a cause for concern for residents given deaths recorded as a result of gas fire accidents in homes. Are people inviting death to their homes? PAUL OKAH asks in this report.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as fuel in heating appliances, cooking equipment and vehicles. Despite the usefulness of gas as source of power, its inflammable nature makes chances of gas fire accidents almost inevitable.
This is compounded by the proliferation of LPG stations on road corridors, within residential areas, and densely populated areas across the country, raising concerns about the safety of Nigerians, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Nasarawa disaster
On Monday, September 10, 2018, a gas tanker, which had been leaking for about three days, caused an explosion at the Monaco Gas Station in Lafia, Nasarawa state, leading to a fire that reportedly killed scores of people and injured many others.
The leak was said to have been reported to men of the State Fire Service, who went to ascertain the situation, however, barely an hour after they left, there was an explosion.
According to Punch Newspaper report, an eyewitness, Mr Adamu Saibu, said he was in his office when he heard an explosion and the cries of people calling for help.
“On getting to the scene, I saved two people and handed them over to officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who took them to a hospital. Some people were burnt beyond recognition,” he said.
Another witness, Jacob Amos, said that the inferno led to the death of an uncountable number of people, while more fortunate ones were saved, but battling for life in different hospitals.
“We were inside an office when we heard an explosion and we rushed out to see what it was about. We saw that there was a fire incident and some people were running as fire burnt them. They said a gas tanker that was parked on the premises of the station caused the fire. We were able to save some people; but a lot of people died.”
Reacting to the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Ismaila Usman, said the command had received a report on the incident, but that the casualty figure had yet to be ascertained, while the Nasarawa state fire service declined comment, stating that investigating was on-going into the cause of the fire.
Casualty confirmed
In its own reporter, an online medium, Reuters, reported that at least 35 people were killed and hundreds injured in the September 10 tanker explosion in Nasarawa state.
According to the online medium, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) official said the accident happened at a petrol station along the Lafia-Makurdi Road linking the capital city of Abuja with northern and southern Nigeria.
Acting Director, SEMA, Usman Ahmed, said the truck exploded at the point of discharging the gas, stating: “We have confirmed 35 dead and over a hundred injured. Most of those that died rushed to the accident spot to see what was happening,” Ahmed told Reuters.
Assembly moves in
Immediately after the gas fire incident the Nasarawa State House of Assembly said it would soon come up with a law that would stop the sale of gas in urban centres in the state.
The Speaker of the House, Mr Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi, gave the assurance when he led other members on an on-the- spot assessment of the gas explosion site.
“It is important as a government for us to see what actually happened. It is sad and indeed very unfortunate that this incident happened at this period; we have a responsibility to protect lives and property. When this information came to us, we felt that such an incident should not have occurred if care had been taken.
“The station should be on the outskirts of the city. We are going to come up with a law to stop this type of business in the heart of the city. As true representatives of the people, we are going to enact a law that will stop gas business in the heart of any town. We cannot fold our arms and allow this type of thing to continue,” he said.
Cooking gas explosion
Apart from explosion of tankers conveying petroleum products, cooking gas cylinders are also known to explode in homes causing fire accidents and sometimes claim lives or permanently maim victims.
A case in point is a gas fire incident on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, when 11 persons suffered varying degrees of burns from a gas explosion that occurred at Rosy Restaurant in Area 11, Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the victims, who were immediately taken to Asokoro General Hospital, suffered high degrees of burns.
A pregnant woman, who simply identified herself as Ajayi, who works at the restaurant, said that they were all going about their normal duty when the gas suddenly exploded and that she needed to go for scan to ascertain the condition of her baby, as the explosion affected her face, legs and hands.
She was, however, attended to by the hospital management to ascertain if she would be transferred to where she could receive better treatment.
Rachael Awu, another attendant at the restaurant and one of the victims of the explosion, said she was attending to her duty when the explosion rocked the restaurant, saying that the gas cylinder outside was the one that aided the fire that ignited the gas cylinder inside the restaurant.
“I was serving customers and I went to pack meal; as I looked, back I just heard the explosion. The fire started from the back of the restaurant where one of the cylinders was stationed. I was facing outside and when I tried to look back, I saw fire from the explosion.
“One of the gas cylinders was stationed outside the restaurant in the open space, and there is another gas inside where we usually store meat,” she said.
Another victim, who simply identified himself as Promise, said that the explosion was sudden, adding that he was attending to customers when he heard a loud noise, but he suffered some degrees of injuries on his two hands and a partial burn on his face.
“I went to carry sachet water when the gas exploded; as I turned back, the fire was already burning my hands,” she said.
Rose Kenu, a worker at the restaurant whose face was also affected by the explosion, said what happened was beyond explanation.
“I was in the restaurant when the gas exploded. We were cooking inside the restaurant because that is where the kitchen is located,” she said.
The Acting Managing Director, Health and Human Services Secretary (HHSS), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Dr. Aminu Mile, while on a visit to the victim, said the circumstances surrounding the explosion would be unravelled.
He said that the HHSS was already doing its own part to help victims of the explosion, adding that everything would be done to help the victims.
Acting Medical Director, General Hospital, Asokoro, Dr Nnabuchi Chidi, said that the hospital would refer some of the victims to the National Hospital.
He said that 11 of them were brought to the hospital and the hospital would do everything to ensure they are stabilised.
FCTA checks proliferation
Following the gas explosion incident in Nasarawa, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) set up a five-man ministerial committee to assess the operations of LPG stations in the territory.
The committee, on July 2, this year, presented its report to Permanent Secretary, Sir Christian Ohaa, who assured of prompt action to check the proliferation of LPG stations in the territory; “in order to avert looming disaster.”
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ohaa said that FCTA was concerned about the proliferation of LPG stations in the territory considering its inherent danger.
He noted that the gas explosion in Lafia was a wake-up call on FCT Administration and applauded the committee for the good work, even as he reiterated the FCT administration’s commitment to safety of lives and property of all residents of the territory.
“This committee was set up to visit and commensurate with the government and people of Nasarawa state on the unfortunate incident. Also, to examine the operation of LPG stations in the FCT with a view to determining their compliance with safety standards and regulations as well as make appropriate recommendations for improvement on their operations.
“The committee has done justice to its assignment and far reaching recommendations have been made towards avoiding the reoccurrence of the Lafia incident in Abuja,” he said.
Undocumented stations
Speaking to journalists during the event, Director General, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Alhaji Idris Abbas, who is chairman of the committee, disclosed that a total of 179 LPG outlets were visited in 25 districts of the FCT.
He said the committee discovered that Kuje, Lugbe, and Sabon Lugbe, had the highest number of LPG stations, representing 14.20 per cent.
He explained that a significant number of them constituting about 69.8 per cent don’t have requisite title documents and listed some of the recommendations of the committee to include: “setting up of a joint audit committee made up of representatives from relevant departments and agencies.”
Abbas said they would ensure that all LPG stations operating in the FCT without approval and certification obtain such within a specified period.
“LPG stations operating on road corridors, within residential areas and densely populated areas should be removed by the department of development control.”
Govt to take over gas cylinders
Perhaps, in a move to curtail gas fire accidents, the federal government in May, this year, during a forum on LPG penetration in Abuja, said it was coming up with a policy that would remove the ownership of Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders from consumers.
Speaking during the event, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said the policy would require that the ownership of the cylinders rests strictly with the dealers and distributors, adding that this was part of the strategy to deepen the penetration of LPG, also known as cooking gas, and address issues of safety.
Kachikwu added that the federal government had reached an agreement with two original cylinder manufacturers to deliver 600,000 cylinders to LPG distributors on credit, with a repayment period of 18 months.
He said the federal government would in the next couple of days commence the clampdown on illegal roadside LPG dealers, while he directed all skid operators of LPG to immediately convert their outlets to micro distribution centres before the enforcement begins.
Kachikwu, who was represented by his Senior Technical Assistant, Brenda Ataga, said: “The MDCs will essentially create and introduce into the market what we call the cylinder exchange programme, whereby the cylinders are owned by the distributors.
“There is no need for you to decant for anybody that comes in, and that eliminates illegal risks as well. You would fill them at the refill plants that would be tied to you and exchange it with your customers because you know your customers already. Your customers pay for only the content, while you own the cylinders and control the management of those cylinders.
“It is for us to be able to, at any point in time, discern and discover cylinders that are bad, cylinders that need recertification and cylinders that need to be removed from circulation. We put that onus on distributors going forward, to support the safe and standard method of selling LPG.
“I tell you today that Nigeria is the only country in West Africa that does not practice the re-circulation model.
Everyone has moved away from this because, again, most of the population cannot afford cylinders. So, you have to remove that cost from them.”
