ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Some residents of Tirwun and ATBU Kari Estate Staff Quarters have appealed to the Bauchi State Government to immediately revoke the license given to a company to construct a gas plant in the area because of its impending danger.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Muhammad Chiroma, during a press conference held and the NUJ Secretariat in Bauchi on Sunday, said sitting a gas plant behind a petrol filling station and opposite the Tirwun Jummuat/Eid mosque is very hazardous in view of the frequent explosions across the country.
“In the unfortunate event of an explosion, which is eminent, this location not only puts the lives of thousands of Tirwun Jummuat/Eid mosque worshipers at risk; but also the lives of hundreds of residents; as well as the lives of the pupils and students from both the adjacent Nursery/Primary and Tsangaya Schools in jeopardy. Not to mention passers-by.
“The sharing of the gas plant in the same premises with the petrol filling station presents a double jeopardy – where one will ignite and fuel the other, more like two time bombs ticking to detonate at any moment,” he stated.
According to him, the approval obtained for situating the gas plant was temporarily without recourse to the Bauchi State Fire Service Directorate.
He added that the promoters of the Gas Plant have failed to provide an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report to the host community to ascertain the effects and mitigating measures.
Chiroma alleged that the intended access road to the LPG Plant is just for residential purposes, constructed to serve ATBU quarters and not adequate for trucks/tankers to manoeuvre in and out of the gas plant factory site without causing havoc.
He alleged that the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) and Bauchi State Urban Development Board have both issued stop work order on the gas plant but they refused to comply (May 2021).
“Another stop work order had been recently issued ordered by His Excellency, Executive Governor of Bauchi State (July, 2021). This gas plant shares the same premises with the petrol filling station, making it a more potent to destructive force,” he said.
He said that they are taking preventive measures in view of the many gas explosions across the country.
He: “Gas Explosions in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Monday 10th September 2018 where at least 35 people were killed with hundreds injured and 17 vehicle including two fuel tankers, motorcycles and three tricycles were burnt to ashes.
“Note that similar to the situation we have here with Action Energy, this Lafia explosion is also a combination of petrol filling station and gas plant.
“Gas Explosions in Lagos at Ado Soba, on 16th March 2020 where at least 21 persons died and 57 injured, 43 vehicles damaged, 468 residents rendered homeless, 50 buildings damaged.
“Similarly Kaduna, Ogun and other states have had their share of such harrowing explosions.
“While we highly appreciate and are grateful to his Excellency’s, Executive Governor of Bauchi State, for his timely intervention of issuing stop-work-order, which Action Energy had and is still flagrantly violating; we wish to call for the revocation of the property title order to save lives. “
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