Security risk of sale of cooking gas in petrol stations enormous - Marketers

Abiodun OBA |

The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers has warned that the security risk of selling liquified petroleum gas otherwise known as cooking gas in filling stations in the country is enormous.

The president of the association, Mr Nosa Ogieva-Okunbor, made the call while addressing the Deputy Chairman of the committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Rep.Alex Egbona (PDP-Cross River) in his office in Abuja.

Ogieva-Okunbor therefore urged House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) to avert looming danger by stopping the practice.

He said the association approached the committee to help resolve some dangerous trends in the industry adding that there is nowhere in the world where gas cylinders are filled in petrol stations.

The gas association chairman said that as a result of the expansion in the industry following government efforts in 2007, some Nigerians were taking advantage of the industry in a way that posed danger to fellow Nigerians.

He said that although the association wanted every Nigerian to use gas, it would not lose sight of its safety aspect of saying it was unsafe for filling stations that dispensed petrol for vehicles to be filling gas cylinders in the same location.

Ogieva-Okunbor said that selling of cooking gas in filling stations should be stopped because of the inherent dangers.

He appealed to the committee not to let industry die, recommending that all stakeholders should be brought to the table to revive the industry.

He quipped that if Nigeria could get a bigger vessel and smaller ones to supply Lagos and other deports of the country, gas importation could be stopped.

The Deputy Chairman of the Reps committee, Dr Alex Egbona (PDP-Cross River), said that the committee was aware of the challenges and assured that before the end of the present administration, most of the challenges would be addressed.

Egbona said that before the end of the year or early next year, all the stakeholders would be invited to discuss issues in the industry and how to resolve them and that the committee was passionate and want to see every Nigerian embrace the use of gas for cooking.