After The Ogun Gas Explosion, Abiodun Orders The Evacuation Of Its Citizens

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, on Sunday, ordered evacuation of residents in some of the buildings affected by Saturday’s gas explosion in the Ita-Oshin area of the Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state.

The governor, during an on-the-spot assessment of damage done to properties and businesses around the area, said the evacuation would allow for integrity tests to be carried out on the affected buildings.

Abiodun also promised that the state would foot the hospital bills of victims of the incidents while owners of damaged property would be compensated.

It was report that at least one person was confirmed dead, with six others injured and six vehicles burnt in a gas tanker explosion on the Abeokuta-Sango-Lagos Expressway.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Florence Okpe, confirmed the development on Sunday, saying the gas truck suffered brakes failure after which it lost control and hit the kerb.

Okpe said, “The crash occurred at about 1610 hrs, involving a tanker laden with gas. The number of people involved was six and all male adults; two got injured but unfortunately, one person died from the fire incident, which is the motor boy who was trapped.”

Speaking at the scene of the incident on Sunday, Governor Abiodun questioned the safety of trucks carrying Compressed Natural Gas across the country.

He said: “As a responsible state government, our emergency management team has taken stock of all those businesses, and residences that have been affected by this unfortunate incident.

“What has happened yesterday throws up a lot of questions, far-ranging questions. The issues around safety, regulation, roadworthiness of the modes of transportation, and issues around the required regulatory oversight for the entire industry must be looked into.

“Are these issues happening at the same speed as the industry is progressing? This would allow us to better understand and answer those questions.

“I have directed that one or two buildings be evacuated until our regulatory agency that is in charge does the required integrity test on those buildings, to ensure that they are safe for our people to continue to live in there.

“All those affected will be compensated; all those who are in the hospital, we will take over their treatment.”

He said a meeting of the state government with the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association had been called for Monday in his office to look at the issue of the safety of tankers plying roads in the state.

Governor Abiodun charged the Standards Organisation of Nigeria to be on top of the fast evolution of the industry, saying that the organisation should, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the standards of the CNG tanks used by trucks meet the required standards.

Meanwhile, the gas company whose truck caused the explosion, Gasco Marine, has promised a thorough investigation into the incident.

In its statement on Sunday, Gasco Marine said, “We are saddened by this unfortunate event. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family of the deceased, and the affected individuals whose properties were affected. We are doing everything we can to support them during this difficult time.

“At Gasco Marine, the safety and well-being of employees and the communities we operate in are of utmost priority.

“We also take this opportunity to assure our stakeholders that we strictly adhere to all safety standards. We remain committed to continuously strengthening our health and safety policies to prevent such unfortunate incidents from occurring in the future.”

The company commended the emergency response teams, including personnel from the FRSC, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Control Agency, the Nigerian Police Force, and representatives of the Ogun State government, who were promptly on-site to assist.

“We at Gasco Marine have also activated our emergency response protocols and are cooperating fully with relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

“We will continue to update all stakeholders as the investigation progresses. Our focus remains on supporting the affected families and ensuring the highest levels of safety across our operations,” the statement added.