…HSE experts react…
Its reliability and dependability; comfortability and environmental friendliness; its ease of use and high quality performance; are among the essentialities that has endeared gas to the utility and consumption of users in Nigeria. In view of its growing usage among other things, for cooking purposes, space heating, and power supply of gas appliances, the transition into a new energy milieu is becoming evident, Victory Bernard writes.
“The rising global demand for cleaner energy sources has offered Nigeria an opportunity to exploit gas resources for the good of the country and the government intends to seize the opportunity,” this was the recent declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari, as he launched “The Decade Of Gas In Nigeria” early this year (2021).
Underscoring the need to drive the country’s economic development by tapping Nigeria’s enormous gas resources, Buhari said, “Our major objective for the gas sector is to transform Nigeria into an industrialized nation with gas playing a major role and we demonstrated this through enhanced accelerated gas revolution.”
He pledged that his administration would fully utilize the enormous gas resources in the country to grow the economy and drive industrialization within 10 years while noting also that his administration had prioritized gas development and recorded remarkable progress. “Nigeria is a gas nation with a little oil, but the country has focused on oil over the years,” he said.
Nigeria Gas Potential
Nigeria is reputed to be the largest gas-flaring country in the world and by not fully harnessing its gas resources, Nigeria loses an estimated 18.2 million U.S. dollars daily. Despite being the second largest producer of liquefied petroleum gas in Africa, and the sixth largest producer in the world with over 3million metric tones annually, current per capital consumption of the gas in Nigeria is about 0.8kg/annum.
This is the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa; lower than those of Nigeria’s West Africa neighbours who do not produce the product. Annual LPG consumption in Nigeria for 2010, was put at 120,000MT, whereas, in Lagos alone, there is a potential market for 1,000,000MT annually.
Gas Explosions in Nigeria
Although Nigerians seem to love the usage of gas because of its cleaner energy, recent times have showed the lack of knowledge of gas safety among the populace rising from the various incidents of gas explosion in the country.
On January 23, 2020, a gas plant, described as illegal by the DPR went up in flames in Agbor, Delta State . After a visit to the site, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa confirmed that four persons died during the incident, and no fewer than 11 persons were hospitalised. Properties including homes and farms were also destroyed.
On October 8, 2020, a gas explosion occurred at a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG ) plant belonging to Best Roof Gas, at Baruwa Ipaja area of Lagos State, destroying properties worth millions of naira. The plant was reportedly sited and built in a location that appeared to breach guidelines set by the DPR.
On May 12, three persons including an infant died, with 7 others injured in a gas explosion that occurred in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The incident was allegedly caused by an external spark while a technician was topping up gas of a faulty refrigerator at a residence in the area.
On May 18, 2021, two persons were confirmed dead and three others sustained injuries in a gas explosion at Conference hotel in Ogun State owned by a former governor of the state, Gbenga Daniel. The explosion allegedly occurred as a result of a fake gas cylinder used while servicing a revolving door at the hotel.
In a similar incident on May 20, 2021, two people were feared dead at an event centre within the premises of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. According to report, the gas cylinder being used for the routine maintenance by a technician on some air conditioners, was reported to have exploded.
Most recently May 31, a gas station along Ogunlana Street, Ketu-Ikosi Road, Lagos, exploded, causing a fire that razed two shops on the street.
Government’s Reaction to Recent Explosions
The Ogun State Government reacting to the incidents in the state stopped the sale of industrial gas to avert further explosions. The Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr Femi Ogunbanwo said this at a stakeholders meeting in Abeokuta. This was in reaction to the consistent gas explosions in Ogun State. The commissioner said that the state government had put a temporary stop to the sale of industrial gas in the state, as a result of multiple gas explosions in recent times.
Mr Ogunbanwo said that all major players were expected to abide by the directive, warning that anyone selling adulterated gas products or violating safety protocols would face the full wrath of the law. He said that the governor, Dapo Abiodun, had been in consultations with relevant agencies of government and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate and bring to book those engaging in sharp practices that could cause gas explosion.
Expertise Insights
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hybrid Group Ltd, Dapo Omolade emphasized that the country was shifting into the use of gas reinstating that the solution was not to stop the use of gas but to learn how to manage it by understanding it’s properties.
“We are moving into gas right now. It is an encouragement to use gas because a lot of investment is going into it and the government is saying ‘let’s go gas’ economy now. DPR towards the end of last year approved some courtesy in a new regulation in the oil industry called Minimum industry safety training for the downstream industry. They had to come up with this because of the statistics that they have of how people are now using gas and other downstream product and how people handle them.”
“And they made it mandatory that anyone that operates a oil and gas firm, must go through this minimum industry training in other for them to have knowledge while working with this industry. Thereafter, this knowledge must be transferred to the end users who are those people that are now causing these problems everywhere,” the safety expert said.
Fire Chief and Director of Anambra State Fire Service, Engr. Martins Agbili, in his view noted that residents need to apply extra-caution when using gases both for domestic use and outdoor purposes.
“In many residential homes, gases are now mostly used. So if you are going to make use of cooking gas, the cylinder must be outside the kitchen. The burner can be in the kitchen but the cylinder should be outside because there is every tendency that there may be leakages between the hose that connected the cylinder and the burner. The leakage could be outside the kitchen and it will be easier to diffuse and mix up with air,” he said.
He further said that “experts should be called” in the case of repairing gas problems either at event centres or hotels. According to him, “It has to be someone who understands the safety precautions that is attributed to gas and gas cylinder. That person if he is a professional, he will first of all look around to switch off any electrical contact he will have while working in other not to cause problem because the surge can always come.”
Health, Safety and Environment Manager, Globeleq Power Solution Nigeria Limited, Julius Akpong, stated that there are a lot of written regulations by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on gas but not enough enforcement.
On gas stations he said, “There is poor training. The DPR team should be trained. There should be requirement for where people will queue while they come to purchase gas.”
“If you check, some are by the side of the road. Some are under electrical poles. We still see people carrying heavy gases. Some do trial and error. These are a combination of disasters which boils down to the general safety culture,” he said.