FCTA to crack down on gas outlets with operational deficiencies

The ministerial committee set up by the FCT Administration comprising officers from relevant departments and agencies to examine the causes of last year’s gas explosion in Lafia, Nasarawa State and appraise the situation in the FCT and make appropriate recommendations, has submitted its report. The committee, chaired by Abass Idriss, Director General of the FCT […]

The ministerial committee set up by the FCT Administration comprising officers from relevant departments and agencies to examine the causes of last year’s gas explosion in Lafia, Nasarawa State and appraise the situation in the FCT and make appropriate recommendations, has submitted its report.

The committee, chaired by Abass Idriss, Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), made far-reaching recommendations on how to prevent reoccurrence in the FCT while submitting its report to the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, yesterday in Abuja.

Idriss reported that in the course of its assignment, the committee discovered that many of the LPG outlets in the FCT did not possess operating approvals from the relevant authorities and many others did not possess the requisite certifications from DPR or the FCT Fire Service amongst other infractions.

The committee also discovered that most LPG operators within petrol stations leveraged on the license of the filling stations to conduct their businesses.

In its recommendations, the committee advocated for synergy and a close working relationship between the FCTA and the Department of Petroleum Resources  (DPR) in terms of granting permits to ensure safety and compliance to the FCT masterplan as well as  the procedure and conditions for the grant of approval and license for the construction, modification and relocation of LPG filling plants and Auto Gas Stations as spelt out in the relevant petroleum products regulation laws.

The committee also recommended that LPG stations operating on road corridors within residential areas and densely populated areas should be removed by the Department of Development Control.

Also recommended was that any acclaimed approval from all operators of LPG or other inflammable materials should be subjected to verifications by relevant government agencies.

It was also recommended that FEMA and the FCT Fire Service should conduct equipment checks of all formal gas stations to determine their adequacy and safety levels.

In his response after receiving the report, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, commended the committee for a job well done, adding that the report would be studied with a view to putting to work its recommendations.