Energy Expert Raises Alarm Over Adulterated Gas In Ogun
A Nigerian business leader and oil and gas expert, Chief Shina Luwoye, has raised the alarm over the persistent activities of syndicates involved in petroleum product diversion, adulteration and unsafe domestic gas practices across Ogun State and major transit corridors in the South-West.
The energy expert made the disclosure in Abeokuta while receiving executive members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ogun State Council, who paid a courtesy visit to the headquarters of Ecogas Energy Resources Limited on Thursday.
According to him, illicit product siphoning, locally referred to among cartels as “truck parties”, involves rogue tanker drivers conniving with criminal elements within host communities to steal and compromise petroleum products in transit.
He revealed that although Ecogas had deployed strict tracking and monitoring systems to secure its fleet, the wider society remained at grave risk due to unchecked activities along major highway corridors.
The Mayegun of Egbaland identified the Ogere corridor, the Ijebu-Ode axis for products heading northwards, and the Ore stretch for supplies moving from the Dangote Refinery towards the East and Central South-West as notorious hotspots for the illegal activities.
Lamenting the conspiracy of silence surrounding the menace, he noted that while local communities were fully aware of the illicit operations, relevant government authorities often remained in the dark, a situation worsened by transport unions shielding erring members when they were reported.
“These are things that are going on that people in the communities know, but the government may not know that such illegalities are happening.
“Even when their members are reported, the unions try to cover them up. It has become what we call open secrets, and somebody needs to bell the cat so we can address it,” he stated.
On domestic safety, he warned Nigerian households against the continued use of expired and compromised Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, cylinders, describing them as ticking time bombs capable of triggering devastating explosions in homes.
He observed that many residents mistake a functional-looking or freshly repainted cylinder for a safe one, comparing the practice to driving a vehicle with expired tyres simply because they have not yet burst.
To address the hazard without worsening the economic burden on citizens, he called on the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, to license and empower private operators to establish local cylinder revalidation, calibration and pressure-testing plants.
He, however, decried bottlenecks at the nation’s ports and multiple regulatory levies imposed by agencies such as SON, the Ministry of Environment and Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, bodies, noting that 100 per cent import duties and months of cargo delays could discourage investment in safety infrastructure.
He stressed that most domestic gas leaks stem from neglected accessories rather than the cylinders themselves, urging households to replace their gas hoses and camp burners at least once every year.
Earlier in her remarks, the Chairman of the NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Yetunde Fatungase, said the visit was aimed at familiarising the chapel with the organisation, appreciating its contributions to the energy sector and exploring areas of mutual collaboration, particularly in promoting public awareness and economic development.
