Imo House of Assembly Urges Governor Uzodinma to Curb Proliferation of Cooking Gas Outlets

In a bid to ensure public safety and a friendly environment within Imo State, the Imo State House of Assembly has called on Governor Hope Uzodinma to halt the proliferation of cooking gas outlets in residential areas.

This call came after the adoption of a motion moved by Samuel Ikechukwu Osuji, the member representing Isiala Mbano Constituency, who highlighted the serious threats posed by the indiscriminate establishment of cooking gas outlets to lives and property within residential areas.

Osuji pointed out that there is an existing law for monitoring and regulating the installation of cooking gas outlets and questioned whether agencies like the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and the Nigeria Upstream Regulatory Authority (NUPRA) were still fulfilling their responsibilities.

He emphasized that the Imo State Ministry of Petroleum, along with other agencies, is responsible for ensuring compliance with regulations in the petroleum, oil, and gas sector to safeguard lives and property in the state.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the rampant location of cooking gas outlets exposes Imo residents to danger, noting that many lives have already been lost and property destroyed due to gas explosions.

“Many cooking gas stations and local retail outlets have sprung up in most residential areas, and the owners refill gas cylinders in their shops and on the roads located in every street within the state capital, dispensing the product from 50kg cylinders to buyers with 12.5kg, 10kg, 7.5kg, and below.

These cooking gas stations and local retail outlets have become ticking time bombs in the state,” Osuji said.

He urged the House to press the governor to direct the Ministry of Petroleum and Environment, in collaboration with the Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA), to conduct a thorough investigation and seal off outlets that do not conform to environmental laws to protect lives and property.

Osuji further called on the House to mandate the committees on Environment and the Imo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (ISOPADEC) to jointly invite officials from the ministries of Environment, Petroleum, and OCDA to investigate the causes behind the indiscriminate establishment of cooking gas stations in the state capital without adhering to environmental laws.