FEMA seeks safety commission for Abuja

To ensure sustainable mitigation of loss of lives and property to incessant fire outbreaks and explosions from gas and fuel outlets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has advocated the establishment of a safety commission for the territory.

Director General of FEMA, Abbas Idriss, disclosed yesterday, in Abuja, that the proposed commission would be responsible for issuing operating licences and effectively curbing the proliferation of cooking gas and petrol outlets in the FCT.

Idriss, however, warned that if such commission were not established, the federal capital would have fires and explosions that cause much havoc in the city.

He disclosed that in furtherance to the advocacy, FEMA had even gone to understudy some states, to see what they were doing.

His words: “We are advocating a safety commission in the FCT, which will issue operating licences. This is because most of these gas stations do not operate the way they are supposed to, as they don’t have the training and adequate staffing to handle such ventures.

“So, we have written for it, and we will continue to advocate such sustainable intervention. We had a committee on incessant gas explosions in FCT, but that doesn’t mean we are not taking actions.”