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Louis Ibah
The Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), has said its preliminary investigation revealed that Liquefied Petroleum Gas(LPG), also known as cooking gas, was not responsible for the explosion which rocked Abule Ado in the Trade Fair axis of Lagos on March 15.
Executive Secretary of the union, Mr. Bassey Essien, in a statement in Lagos, who commiserated with victims said immediately NALPGAM was informed of the incident, members of its Technical, Monitoring and Surveillance Committee visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment of the impact.
He said the team also obtained eye witness accounts as part of its brief to unravel the empirical causes of the explosion.
“Contrary to insinuations from various quarters, our preliminary investigation has revealed that LPG was not the cause of the explosion.
“An LPG plant in the vicinity of the explosion as well as two LPG storage vessels with their contents in a skid plant located in a petrol filling station close to the scene of the explosion were still intact without any sign of damage done to them. Some quantities of 50kg gas cylinders with their contents intact belonging to a nearby gas retailer were not damaged.
“This thus lends credence to the fact that the explosion had no direct or remote connection to LPG, ” Essien said.
According to him, NALPGAM is willing to make available its members , who with their wealth of experience, can assist the panel set up to investigate the Abule Ado explosion whenever their services are required.
“While we await the outcome of the panel, We commiserate with all the families that lost their loved ones, the students and management of Bethlehem High School, Abule Ado on the loss of their Principal, Rev Sr Henrietta Alokha, who displayed unprecedented gallantry in ensuring that she saved the lives of her students even at the cost of her own life.
” The unquantifiable number of properties lost, families rendered homeless and businesses destroyed as a result of the explosion is a national calamity.
“This calls for sober reflection and support from well meaning Nigerians to reach out to the affected families to ameliorate their losses, ” Essien said.
Essien also commended the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Response Unit (LRU), Fire Service, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and security organisations for their crucial roles during the incident.
