…As FCTA To Partner NOSDRA For Prevention Of Oil , Gas Related Disasters
Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has asked for stringent regulation and monitoring of gas dispensing outlets in the nation’s capital.
This, he claims, will prevent gas dispensing outlets from being too close to residential areas.
He also hinted that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will collaborate closely with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) in order to reduce the risks of oil and gas-related disasters and effectively manage emergency situations in the FCT.
He made this call when a delegation from NOSDRA, led by its Director General, Mr Idris Musa, paid him a courtesy visit in his office, said collaborations between agencies is very essential for the effective prevention and management of disasters in the FCT.
His words , “I think this is one area that we have to be very strict and firm. Even where gas plants would be located, they have to really be under the tightest control and regulations because as you know, the gas station do not require much land like a typical petrol station and there is a tendency, if we are not careful, especially in the Area Councils and Satellite towns, they will just be squeezed into areas of high concentrations of people or within residential areas”.
He commended the very vital role that NOSDRA is playing in protecting the FCT environment and other parts of the country from oil spillage arising from activities in the upstream and downstream petroleum sector.
The FCT Minister also appreciated the support and cooperation of the agency and thanked the DG for making available the maps detailing the locations of petrol filling stations in the FCT for effective management and response to emergencies.
Earlier in his remarks, Mr Idris Musa, Director General of NOSDRA, noted that the Agency is a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Environment charged with environmental management in the petroleum sector, which includes upstream, midstream, and downstream.
He also praised the FCTA’s Development Control Department and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board for ensuring that petrol filling stations are built in accordance with the Abuja Master Plan and environmental standards.
He said NOSDRA has captured all the petrol and gas stations in the FCT and the Area Councils through its ICT and GIS programmes and has documented them in a map in its database for effective response during emergencies.
The DG also disclosed that the agency has successfully introduced world class methods of installing underground petrol storage tanks at filling stations in such a manner that would prevent the seeping of petrol into the water table, saying it is now serving as a guide for existing and future projects
