By Deji Elumoye
The Senate on Tuesday resolved to probe the recent gas explosions in different parts of Lagos West senatorial district of Lagos state.
It has therefore mandated its two committees on on Petroleum Downstream and Gas Resources to investigate the remote and immediate causes of these explosions with a view to preventing reoccurrence.
The joint committee is expected to report back to Senate at plenary in two weeks.
The resolution of the upper chamber was sequel to the adoption of a motion titled “Urgent Need To Investigate Recent Gas Explosions In Lagos West Senatorial District Resulting In Loss Of Lives And Massive Destruction Of Properties”, moved by Chairman of the Senate committee on Finance, Senator Olamilekan Adeola.
The upper chamber also urged the Regulatory and Licensing Authorities like the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), State Town Planning Authority, the Fire Service and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to review the modus operandi, safety procedures and licensing regimes of this potentially combustible business and mode of transportation of gas in Nigeria.
It further directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to immediately send relief materials to affected victims and offset medical bills of hospitalized victims While observing a minute Silence in honour of innocent Nigerians that lost their lives in the unfortunate national tragedy, the Senate also resolved to write a Condolence letter to the people and government of Lagos State over the sad incident.
Senator Adeola had earlier in his motion
noted that on September 24, 2020, a massive gas explosion occurred at Cele Bus Stop, Iju-Ishaga in Ifako-Ijaiye LGA, Lagos State and that the explosion 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 of the explosion.
He expressed regret that the explosion believed to have been 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 of many citizens.
The ranking Senator further revealed that two weeks after, specifically on October 10, 2020, a similar gas explosion occurred at Candos Road, Baruwa, Ipaja-Ayoba, Alimosho LGA when an LPG Tanker in process of discharging gas at a gas plant exploded from sparks of a running power generator in the plant.
According to him, there had 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.
