Two hours after banning the operation of gas refilling stations in residential areas, the Chairman of Obio/Akpor, Chijioke Ihunwo, sealed off plants around the Cherubim and Seraphim road in Rumuokuta during a visit to the site on Tuesday. Chijioke Ihunwo said he was not joking when he placed the ban on the operation of cooking gas refilling stations along or close to where people live. He told everyone that the clampdown is not a witch hunt but for the safety of lives.
“We don’t allow people to endanger people’s lives. We are preventing danger and casualties, and we are trying to avoid havoc.”
The Obio/Akpor Local Government Area Chairman, Chijioke Ihunwo, also appealed to regulatory bodies like the Department of Petroleum Resources to stop issuing licenses to quacks. He said the safety of the majority of the residents should be prioritized above monetary gains.
Obio/Akpor Local Government Chairman Chijioke Ihunwo
The decision to stop the operation of cooking gas refilling points in residential areas is not going down well with some residents of Obio/Akpor. While some supported the ban, others said it would greatly affect them in many ways. Some of our respondents asked the council authorities to put in place strict safety measures instead of an outright ban.
In the meantime, the police in Rivers State have asked residents to be cautious while using gas cylinders. The new Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olugbenga Adepoju, made the appeal during a visit to some victims of the Oroazi gas explosion at the hospital. He also sympathized with victims of the gas explosion. While receiving the Commissioner of Police, the Chief Medical Director of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Prof. Chizindu Alikor, disclosed that 16 persons were brought to the hospital on Saturday with various degrees of burns. He said that while the hospital is working hard to ensure that the victims are stable and in good condition, two persons have already passed away. The CP was taken around the wards where the victims were admitted.
