Due to recent explosions in the state, the government of Ogun has temporarily suspended the selling of industrial gas.
A gas explosion occurred in the Onikoko area of Abeokuta, the Ogun capital, on Friday morning, injuring two people.
On Thursday, a gas explosion occurred at the Olusegun Obasanjo presidential library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, killing one person.
A gas explosion rocked the Conference Hotel opposite the library less than 48 hours before the OOPL incident, killing two people.
Following a gas explosion in another area of the state capital on May 12, three people were killed, including a child, and others were injured.
Femi Ogunbanwo, the state commissioner for special duties and intergovernmental relations, told a stakeholders meeting in Abeokuta on Friday that the order would be followed by all major stakeholders in the gas sector.
“Anyone found guilty of selling adulterated gas products or violating safety protocols would have the full weight of the law to contend with,” he added.
He added that Dapo Abiodun, the state governor, has been in consultations with the federal authorities, relevant agencies, and the police to investigate and bring to book whoever is found guilty of sharp practices or negligence that could cause further occurrence.
Also speaking, Ola Oresanya, special adviser to the governor on environment, described the incidents as an ugly development which must be nipped in the bud.
Earlier, Ogunbanwo, Oresanya, Rasaki Ojetola, permanent secretary, Ministry of Environment, and other government officials visited the various explosion sites as well as some gas plant outlets.
During the visits, two plants in Omida and Idi-Ori in Abeokuta metropolis were sealed off.
In October 2020, following incidents of gas explosions across the country, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), released new guidelines for the establishment and operations of downstream gas facilities across the country.
