The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), has decried the unsafe manner in which some operators were handling LPG products, especially in Kano.
The NALPGAM National President, Mr Olatunbosun Abideen-Oladapo, made the observation on Wednesday, in Kano, while speaking with newsmen after meeting with some registered gas marketers from Kano and Katsina states.
“What brought me to Kano is what we heard that is happening in the Northern parts of the country where people are handling LPG products carelessly, without adhering to the procedures and rules.
“I have gone round the metropolis and I saw the way people are packing cylinders inside buses and trucks in a very unsafe manner.
“They hide all these cylinders inside stores and shops in the markets. Can we still continue to live with this danger.
“I have also seen that these trucks also move on the roads containing large amounts of LPG stored in various cylinders and most of the cylinders are actually expired ones.
“But, my concern and worry as an investor in this business is that, all our members are adhering to the rules and regulations of the government agencies.
“There are some people that are being illicit, doing illegal activities, when accident happened, the whole world will focus on all of us, they won’t know who is doing the right thing and who is doing wrong.
“It is our responsibility, as an association, to speak out today and call attention of everybody that the way they are handling, particularly cylinders, that were moving across the borders was becoming a serious issue.
“The way they arrange cylinders with gas they are bringing illegally into the country is threatening the safety of our society.
“We must not wait until an accident happened, where there are casualties or loss of investment, then we speak out.
“All the relevant agencies and government authorities should take note that the gas, such people are bringing into the country are off specification, if there was an accident, it would be disastrous,” he said.
He pointed out that there was enough gas in the country that could serve the people, and even it were to be imported into the country, they should do it in a transparent manner and adhere to the safety guidelines.
“The mode of transporting it into our country is not ideal, the way they contained it is not ideal and specification was not subjected to laboratory test.
“Even the buyers from such illegal operators are endangering their lives, they should buy from accredited plants or licensed dealers,” he said.
The president noted that the equipment people used in Nigeria were designed to contain the gas produced in the country due to climatic conditions.
