Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has said that a policy that would enforce roadworthiness of truck heads plying roads in the state would be put in place.
Abiodun, who stated this while addressing the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), EkperikpeEkpo and his entourage, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, after visiting the site of last Saturday’s explosion, said attention would also be paid to gas cylinders used by the trucks to ensure quality and standard.
The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, said the steps became necessary given the preponderance of gas utilisation in the state.
Abiodun said he was worried about how the public would perceive the incident, especially with the constitution of the Presidential Task Force on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to deepen the provision, utilisation and offtake of gas across the country.
He stressed the need for the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to be up and doing as the gas industry is fast evolving, noting that it is necessary to ensure adequate regulation of the industry.
The governor, while appreciating President Bola Tinubu for commiserating with the government and the people of the state on the incident, said that his administration would collaborate with the Federal Government to find out the immediate cause and what to be done to guide against future occurrence and how to support those affected.
Ekpo said he was in the state as the minister in charge of gas on behalf of the President to assess the extent of damage done by the explosion and report same for proper and prompt response.
The minister, while sympathising with the families of the victims and those who lost property and businesses, said despite the incident, there was a need to continue with the CNG initiative to drive the economy as it is the cleanest source of energy.
Ekpo said he came with managers of the gas industry to find out what happened with a view to looking at how to address it to prevent future occurrences, even as he appreciated the governor for rising to the occasion to assuage the sufferings of the people.
Also, Managing Director of Gasco Marine, Segun Ogunwunmi, who spoke while receiving the minister and the deputy governor of the state in his company premises, described the gas explosion as unfortunate, as the company, over the last five years since it commenced operations, had not recorded any incident.
He said facilities at the company are topnotch while the drivers are trained by officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), and the premises are checked regularly to ensure complaints with safety standards.
