Photo: PulseNg
By Akintoye Temitope,
The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has ordered that all Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) refilling plants located within residential areas of the state be totally closed, a decision coming as a solution to prevent unforeseen circumstances after the weekend gas explosion in which scores of lives and property were lost in the state.
El-Rufai, whose directive was said to had come as government’s position against the explosion, indicated that gas refilling plants under closure may remain under lock until they move away from communities and that the state would appreciation cooperation of residents in reporting all gas filling operations within their locality to the right agency so as to ensure proper enforcement.
Speaking on Monday during a condolence visit to victims’s families, including that of former Chairman of Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission, Prof. Simon Mallam, who died in the incident, the governor assured that the state government would not relent in putting in place necessary preventive measure such that is capable of arrest future occurrence.
According to him, gas refilling plants will be relocated from communities to where they can operate conveniently without bringing unnecessary dangers upon residents.
“I sympathize with families of the victims, pain and loss could have been avoided if gas refilling activities were only carried out in industrial layouts where proper safety measures where made available to avoid horrific accidents like the Saturday gas explosion”.
“It is most unfortunate that this incident has happened. It is further proof and evidence that this is a high risk activity that should not be allowed to be located in residential areas.
“We will relocate them, give them land in industrial areas where adequate precautions to prevent things like this will be put in place. But for now, we have to get all these gas refilling plants within the metropolis and towns relocated.
We are mapping all of them. For now they are shut down,” he said.
