By Jemimah Wellington, JKNMedia Reporter
AMIDST a spate of tragic tanker accidents, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has disclosed ongoing discussions among the 36 State Governors and key federal agencies within the oil and gas sector.
The focus of these talks revolves around the adoption of safer methods for transporting petroleum products across the nation.
Chairman of the NGF, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, revealed this development during a visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, where he extended condolences to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the residents and the government of Rivers State following the devastating tanker inferno on the Indorama-Aleto bridge axis of the East-West Road in Eleme local government area.
The tragic incident which occurred on Friday night, claimed lives of five individuals and incinerated over 120 vehicles.
Reflecting on similar calamities, Governor AbdulRazaq cited a recent incident in Ogun State involving a tanker transporting Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) that resulted in loss of lives.
Expressing grief over the loss incurred in Rivers State, AbdulRazaq emphasized the significance of peer review discussions, underscoring the need for proactive measures to mitigate such occurrences in the future.
“We have peer review discussion over it. And similar incident happened in Ogun State as well, which you’re aware of, and that’s a CNG tanker, Rivers State was petrol tanker,” he stated.
Furthermore, AbdulRazaq disclosed engagements with the Head of the Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency, hinting at potential legislative reviews and enhanced collaboration between regulatory bodies at both federal and state levels.
“We also spoke with the Head of the Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (DPRA), and there will be a review of some laws Thee will also be engagement between the DPRA and State Agencies in terms of ensuring health and safety on the issues,” he affirmed.
Highlighting the critical role of pipelines in Nigeria’s petroleum transportation infrastructure, AbdulRazaq stressed the need for robust regulations and the expansion of pipeline networks to bolster safety measures
“As you know, Nigeria rallies a lot, virtually, on pipelines for the movement of petroleum products, and we need to strengthen regulations in that sector, and also emphasize on improving and expanding pipelines for the transportation of products as well,” he stressed.
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