Residents Oppose Building Of Petrol Station Near canal, Gas station In Lagos Community

By Robert Egbe

Residents of Ogudu Ori-Oke in Kosofe Local Government Area (LGA) of Lagos State yesterday demanded the relocation of a filling station under construction by an oil trader, Petrocam Trading Nigeria Ltd, to avert disaster.

The petrol station is at Omotayo Banwo Street, beside a canal and the Manna Prayer Mountain Church building. A gas station is a few buildings away on Agboyi Road.

The residents expressed fear that in the event of a spillage and fire at the station, oil would flow into the canal, setting ablaze properties on its course.

Community Development Association (CDA) Chairman Chief Segun Oduwole alleged that Petrocam’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Patrick Ilo had paid no attention to the danger.

He said the firm ignored the Lagos State Building Control Agency’s (LASBCA’s) order to stop work and remove its uncompleted one-storey building on the land.

The Nation observed that the building was marked with “REMOVE LASBCA 5/07/19 GM.”

Oduwole recalled that a few years ago, the Babatunde Fashola administration demolished an inhabited storey building on the land because the area had been reserved years earlier for a link road to ease traffic.

He said: “The danger the petrol station portends to the inhabitants of the area and the public is enormous. Firstly, Ogudu, Ori-Oke is purely a residential area with a narrow road, which cannot accommodate a petrol station with the attendant hazards of petrol tankers bringing in petroleum products.

“There is no space on the narrow road for long vehicles, especially long tankers to manoeuvre on the road to supply highly inflammable petroleum products.

“Secondly, if this petrol station is allowed at this location, the regular gridlock at Omotayo Banwo Street from Ketu Alapere will re-emerge on the road and this will render the huge amount spent by the Lagos State Government on the construction of the road illogical and a waste of public resources, as the government’s aim of making the Ogudu Alapere link road passable would have been defeated.

“Thirdly, there is a high risk of fire outbreak, which will likely affect homes and properties located along the road either by manoeuvring fuel tankers or by the closeness of the petrol station to the canal/water channel and a bridge.”

A representative of the Manna Prayer Mountain Church, Mr. Diran Adebodun, said excavation work at the filling station damaged the church’s fence.

He said: “Our fence came down during the excavation. The church rebuilt it at almost N3.5million. Before then water passed under the old fence into the church’s premises from the filling station because their plot was water-logged. We were worried that in the event of a fuel leakage, it may flow into our premises. Besides, it may also sink into the soil and poison the water. We drink water from a borehole here.”

A policeman and a guard at the filling station declined comment.

But a representative of the company, who refused to identify herself, told The Nation on the phone that Petrocam Trading Nigeria Ltd was aware of the objection and would abide by any legal outcome between the parties.

culled from The Nation newspaper