The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) said that it has sealed 103 illegal filling stations and 13 gas plants in Lagos.
The filling stations and gas plants located both on the mainland and island axis in Lagos were shut down for operating without a valid license and for non-compliance with DPR guidelines and international safety standards respectively.
This development was made known by the DPR’s Zonal Operations Controller for Lagos, Mr Ayorinde Cardoso, on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, pointing out that the outlets were shut down after a surveillance exercise by DPR task force teams on Monday.
What the Zonal Operations Controller of DPR is saying
Cardoso said that during the exercise, the task force from the regulatory agency visited 216 facilities across the state as part of its continuous exercise to improve their safety.
He said, ”This is a continuous exercise by the DPR to improve safety in selling and distribution of LPG in Lagos State. The task force visited 216 facilities and observed that 103 petroleum products retail outlets lacked the prerequisite approval and were subsequently shut down.”
Cardoso also disclosed that the LPG (cooking gas) plants were shut down for also operating without prerequisite approval or license from the regulatory agency.
He said some of the sealed plants were operating in unapproved locations, stressing that the move was aimed at reducing the occurrence of gas explosion and fire incidents in Lagos State.
What you should know
It can be recalled that earlier in March 2021, the DPR announced that it shut down 86 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants in Lagos State in 2020 for operating illegally.
This is coming at a time when there have been several reported cases of explosions at gas stations in the state with several fatalities and destruction of properties.
The oil and gas industry regulator and even the Lagos State Government have been on a clampdown of gas stations that have been operating illegally or without approval.
The Lagos State Government as part of the measure announced a ban on the location of gas plants in residential areas.
