The House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on Tank Farms (Technical Committee), Petrol and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG Stations Compliance has assured Nigerians of their safety, as well as safe environmental practices by the operators.
The committee, led by its co-chairman, Mariam Onuoha, gave the assurance during an on-the-spot assessment tour to some filling stations in Katsina State.
They also expressed dissatisfaction with varying levels of infractions and non-compliance, discovered in some facilities.
The committee was set up by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, following petitions and complaints received from members of the public, concerning the hazards associated with the location of petroleum filling stations in residential areas.
After the inauguration of the committee, it set out to undergo an on-the- assessment of all the Tank Farms, Petroleum and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG Stations across the geopolitical zones in the country, beginning with a team in Katsina.
The team led by Miriam Onouha has engaged, at a meeting, with critical players in the oil and gas sector in Katsina State, to find out their challenges and to proffer solutions.
After several deliberations, they also went for an on-the-spot assessment to some petroleum filling stations, where they found out that some safety precautions were not being met and tasked the owners with the need to operate by regulatory requirements and approvals, or face sanctions.
On the part of the state government, the Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Products Task Force, Lawal Aliyu, pledged to redouble efforts towards engaging other players, sensitize the operators, and complement the efforts of the committee.
The meeting had in attendance, the representative of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, officials of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, security agencies, federal and state fire services among others.
The participants pledged to give their maximum cooperation to the committee, to achieve its stated goal of bringing about a safer environment.
