A car powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) exploded at a NIPCO filling station on Benin-Auchi road in Edo state.
The incident occurred on Thursday in the Uhunmwonde LGA of
the state.
Eyewitnesses say no fewer than three persons were rushed to
the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in the aftermath of the
explosion.
It was learnt that among the hospitalised are a passenger of
another vehicle, a pump attendant, and another employee of the station.
A source at the gas station disclosed that the explosion was
caused by “the substandard conversion kits and cylinder used in the
installation of the CNG on the Audi 80 salon car”.
“The driver of the car and the technician who installed the
CNG kits in the vehicle had driven to the filling station to test the efficacy
of the installation when the explosion occurred,” the source added.
“Some people patronise road side technicians because of the
high cost of conversion.”
CNG CONVERSION DRIVE
The federal government has been persuading Nigerians to convert their gasoline-powered vehicles to CNG after President Bola Tinubu pulled the plug on the petrol subsidy regime in 2023.
The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI)
confirmed the Edo explosion in a statement posted on
X.
The PCNGI said the vehicle was “illegally modified” to CNG.
The agency advised that only accredited conversion centres
should be used to convert petrol-powered vehicles to CNG.
“A close examination of the cylinder in question in Benin
City shows it was welded and modified and not approved for use for CNG,” the
statement reads.
“The police, regulatory authorities and management of NIPCO
are undertaking a painstaking investigation of the incident and we are
coordinating with them.
“This incident reiterates the impetus of the PCNGI and our
partners on the soon-to-be-launched Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring System at
SON, NMDPRA, NADDC and FRSC to tackle any bad actors in the ecosystem that
seeks to make this safer, cheaper, cleaner and more reliable source of fueling
risky for all.
“We also call on all
stakeholders to cooperate with the new system of regulation and ensure full
compliance.
“Only accredited conversion centres must be patronized and
safe handling of CNG just like petrol ensures safety for all.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com