By David Akinmola
The Lagos State Government has warned against unsafe fuel storage at homes, markets, and workplaces following lingering fuel scarcity in the country that might cause loss of lives and properties.
The warning was handed down by the Director General, of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, on the weekend following
The DG is working with the Lagos State Taskforce on monitoring and enforcement of public safety measures across the state. He said the authorities would come down hard on persistent defaulters.
According to him, the dry weather caused by the harmattan weather, coupled with the storage of fuel, careless disposal of cigarette stubs, and illegal wire connections could trigger fire outbreaks.
He said the commission as a regulatory agency saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of lives and properties carries out its activities through a proactive process of policy formulation, setting safety standards, and advocacy programme.
He highlighted some preventable causes of explosions such as storing fuel at home, shops or marketplaces, saying this is dangerous to places where generating sets are kept under the decking of story buildings.
He implored residents to avoid using jerry cans that have been used for petrol to store kerosene or any other flammable liquids, just as she advised motorists against storing petrol in their cars.
While calling on landlords and tenants to shun inappropriate storage of fuel at homes and in public places, The DG urged filling stations to disallow customers from clustering around pumps and avoid dispensing fuel in polythene bags to avoid scuffle that can spark off a fire incident
