Fire outbreak: FCTA reads riot act to filling stations, others

By Stanley Onyekwere

As part of measures to curtail incidences of fire outbreak in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, which in recent times has resulted to loss of lives and destruction of property of residents, authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration(FCTA) have vowed to sanction any filling station within the Territory that fails to observe necessary safety measures required by law.
The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola made this assertion while inaugurating a Ministerial Task Force on the safe handling of petroleum products in the FCT.
Adesola noted that improper handling of petroleum products as well as non -compliance with safety measures as it concerns operational guidelines of managing filling stations have been largely responsible for several fire outbreak in most of them.
In a recent statement signed by his Press Secretary,
Tony Odey, the Permanent Secretary, recalled that in 2022 alone, not less than four filling stations were reported to have been gutted by fire within the Territory.
He however, expressed optimism that the Ministerial Task Force would work assiduously to reduce occurrences of fire outbreak by ensuring that operators of filling stations adhere strictly with safety measures.
He also enjoined residents of FCT to consider the inauguration of the Committee as a proactive measure by government aimed at securing their lives and properties.
While stressing the need for the Committee to sensitize and engage owners and operators of filling stations on the need to acquire and install firefighting equipment as well as training and retraining of their personnel on the handling of firefighting gadgets.
Equally, he charged the Committee to begin sensitization engagement within this rainy season, given the fact that most cases of fire outbreak in Filing Stations usually happens during the dry season.
“The Permanent Secretary reeled out the Committee Terms of Reference to include:
to monitor and ensure compliance to safe timing of uploading and offloading of volatile substances, including PMS and LPG as welm as monitor and ensure that all filling stations have functional, basic and relevant fire and personnel safety equipment.
“Ensure that filling stations have trained fire safety officers, monitor and ensure that volatile substances are not off-loaded with vehicles or customers already waiting within the Filling State premises.
“Clamp down on “Black Marketers” and Filling Stations conniving with them. Recommend the closure of Filling Stations violating basic fire safety and those find colluding with “Black Markers”.
“Recommend other safety measures to the Federal Capital Territory Administration as they may deem necessary, in the overall interest of public safety.
“The Members of the Ministerial Task Force are drawn from FCT Emergency Management Agency, Department of Development Control, FCTA Fire Service Department, FCTA Department of Security Services, Department of State Security Services (DSS),the Nigerian Police Force(FCT Command), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and National Union of Road Transport Workers.
“Others are: Representatives of NNPC Upstream and Downstream Sectors, Representatives of Major Petroleum Marketers Association and Representatives of Independent Marketers Association”, the statement read in part.
Responding, the Chairman of the Ministerial Task Force, Mr. Idris Abbas, thanked the FCT Administration for finding them credible and capable to handle this sensitive assignment.
He therefore assured the Administration that his Committee would work assiduously to deliver on the outlined terms of reference.