The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has recorded 244 fir e incidences at various filling stations in the country within 5 years and therefore commenced firm enforcement of regulations against erring Operators.
Acting Regional Coordinator of the Agency Mallam Shu’aibu Alhaji stated this in Kaduna at a one-day stakeholders engagement forum organized for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, the National Association of Road Transport Owners, and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association
Mallam Shuaibu Alhaji expressed concerned over the increasing cases of the accidents especially Fire incidences at the oil and gas industry sub sector.
According to him, the meeting is necessitated because of the need to prevent occurrences of the incidences at the downstream sector, among Tanker Drivers and filling stations.
Mallam Shuaibu noted that the Petroleum Industry act provides in clear terms the sanctions against any operator in the case of any negligence that results to accident.
“This will no longer be business as usual, it is now safety first, the NMDPRA would ensure that the aspirations of the Federal Government by passing the PIA are achieved. The law has provided in clear terms that in the case of negligence by any operator, the such operator would be sanctioned accordingly”.
In a presentation, the controller Health Safety Environmental and Community Directorate Kano State, Mallam Aminu Salihu lamented that for every Five days, an accident is reported in the s ector which had resulted in over Four Hundred deaths in the last five years.
In a remark, the Chairman, of the National Association of Road Transport Owners Alhaji Babangida Jaafaru attributes most of the accidents to substandard spare parts and called on the agency to collaborate with the Standards Organization of Nigeria for the enforcement of the regulations.
It was observed that most of the accidents at the filling stations occurred during discharging, dispensing, servicing, and maintenance processes.
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