The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Marketers has called on the House Committee on Petroleum (downstream) as a matter of urgency to take a step in addressing the looming danger being posed by petroleum station who engage in the selling of the LPG (cooking gas) at petroleum station across the country.
Mr. Nosa Ogieva-Okunbor, the president of the association made this call when the association paid the courtesy call to the Deputy Chairman House committee on downstream Hon. Alex Egbona (PDP Cross Rivers) in Abuja on Thursday.
Ogieva-Okunbor revealed his association needed to draw the attention of the lawmaker over the observed dangerous venture that is threatening the industry in recent time by some ill-informed businessmen.
The Chairman said in recent time, some petrol filling stations were observed to be dispensing LPG cooking gas as well as petroleum in the same filling station despite it volatility nature.
He noted that though there has been a commendable expansion in the gas industry in recent time following government effort since 2007, however, desperate businessmen who only consider profit that public safety has been selling both LPG and petroleum in the same filling station which is very dangerous to both the owners and the public.
Though he acknowledged that every Nigerian deserve to use gas, however, it was unsafe for filling stations that dispensed petrol for vehicles to be filling gas cylinders in the same location.
He opined that selling of cooking gas in filling stations should be stopped because of the inherent dangers associated with it.
According to the chairman, terrorists could take the advantage and the security risk is very is so colossal, saying in every sane clime in the world, gas cylinders are filled outside petrol stations.
While appealing to the committee not to let industry die, he also recommends that all stakeholders involved should be brought to a round table to revive the industry.
In his reaction, Hon. Dr. Alex Egbona (PDP-Cross River), said that the committee was aware of the challenges.
He assured that before the present administration winds down, most of the challenges would be addressed.
