The House Committee members led by the Vice Chairman, Hon. Dickson Awolaja threw the challenge during an inspection visit to the site of the gas plant following a petition from the Community Development Association (CDA) over safety concerns.
Hon. Awolaja in company of other honorable members including Oluseun Adesanya, Adegoke Adeyanju and Olakunle Sobunkola, while visiting the site to assess the ongoing development at the gas plant, enjoined the company to always carry the community along in all its safety measures to address their concerns about the risk of having the plant in a densely populated residential area.
He advised the Management of the Gas Plant to share all regulatory approvals with the community, saying that the committee was satisfied with the progress and urged both parties to work together to ensure safety and transparency going forward.
On his part Hon. Sobunkola appealed to the community to give the investor a chance, stating that the safety plans shared by the CEO were satisfactory, while urging the community to verify all the claims and documents presented by Eco Gas.
This is just as Hon. Adesanya commended the CDA for being proactive and called for constant communication and peaceful coexistence between the community and the investor.
In his response the CEO of Eco Gas, Chief Sina Luwoye, said more safety measures were already put in place since their last meeting at the House of Assembly, which included the decision to reduce the gas tank size from 20 metric tonnes to 10 metric tonnes and to bury it underground in line with regulatory guidelines.
He said the National Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had visited the site a day earlier for inspection to confirm safety compliance.
He assured that safety measures remained the top priority of the gas plant, promising that an automatic emergency shut-off system would be installed at the plant's gate and that a pedestrian bridge would serve as an alternate exit.
He also said the plant would be inspected regularly by NMDPRA and the fire service, while the workers at the plant would undergo modern safety trainings.
Speaking on behalf of the host Community, the Chairman of the CDA, Dr. Olupomi Ajayi, acknowledged the change in tank size but reiterated key concerns, which included the plant’s location in a highly populated area, the small size of the land, the absence of an emergency escape route, and the lack of visible approvals from bodies like the DPR and the State Urban and Regional Planning Authority.
