How gas explosion razed 42 shops and houses in Ondo

The unfortunate gas explosion which hit Babson Gas Nigeria Limited, a gas outlet located beside Saint Thomas’ Anglican Church, Arakale area of Akure metropolis, last Saturday, may have come and gone, but owners of the over 42 shops razed in the raging inferno are still counting their losses, waiting endlessly for help to come their way.

It has been gathered that the sad incident which led no fewer than eight persons, including a pregnant woman, and a 3 year old girl, a nursery school pupil and the daughter of one of the owners of the shops, to be critically injured could have been avoided if the owner of the gas outlet and officials of government in the state had done the needful.

Findings as at Tuesday showed that officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA and that of the state Ministry of Lands are still assessing the situation to know the actual number of shops and residential houses that were razed.

Initial figure given by NEMA was over 42 shops and houses. The owner of Babson Gas Nigeria Limited, Mr. Ololade according to findings applied to undertake such venture in May this year and government’s rejection was reportedly communicated to him in June.

But despite this rejection he snubbed government’s directive and went ahead to dispense gas in the area ignoring the hazardous reasons adduced by government.

This is coming as the Chairman, Liquefied Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria, LGRAN, Ondo state, Gbenga Amondi have disowned Ololade, as neither a member nor patron of the association.

However government officials it was gathered have been collecting revenue from the owner of the gas outlet despite the non approval of such business venture in the location.

It was said that Ololade’s retail outlet pays certain fees to the state Board of Internal Revenue aside paying to another landlord for the space where the reservoirs were mounted.

source: vanguardngr