The Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC), Benue State Command, Bitrus Larai, has advised sellers of cooking gas operating in residential areas in Otukpo to vacate, saying such operation is a threat to lives and property.
Commandant Larai, who gave the order on Thursday while interfacing with dealers of the product in Otukpo, Benue State, acknowledged the importance of their service to the community, but, insisted that such business must be done with caution and in the appropriate premises.
Represented by the Otukpo Area Commander of the corps, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) Uba Odatse, the Benue NSCDC boss, noted with concern the indiscriminate operation of the gas dealers in the area which she said is capable of igniting a major fire disaster that could engulf the entire town.
“I called you for this meeting to discuss a major issue with you. And that is the mode of your operation. The residential premises where most of you are operating from is dangerous.
“You may think that the issue bordering on fire disaster should be the duty of men of Fire Service, but, it also concerns us. For your information, the NSCDC has disaster prevention unit that is saddled with the responsibility of disaster prevention. It is our duty to avert all manners of disaster and the incidence of fire outbreak is within the purview.
“We appreciate the services you’re rendering, but it has to be done in a legal way that lives and property are not endangered. You must operate in the appropriate environment, specifically, in filling stations far from residential areas.
“We are therefore, using this meeting to ask you to leave residential buildings and find appropriate place to do your business, so that, we don’t say had I know tomorrow. It is better to prevent danger or disaster than looking for solution when it happens.
“Since telling you to leave overnight is not fixable, this meeting should serve as a quit notice to you. And as you prepare to exit, we would further advise that you take precautionary measures against fire outbreaks in your transaction,” the NSCDC commandant stressed.
Responding on behalf his colleagues, a gas seller, Gabriel Anebi, thanked the NSCDC boss for the interface, saying her worries concerning their business were apt.
“Your worries about us is understood. Ideally, we are not supposed to operate from residential homes, but, filling stations. But, due to the prevailing economic situation in the country, many of us cannot afford that now. So, we need more time to think of where to locate to, may be to a central point faraway from residential area.However, I assure you that we will continue to take precautionary measures to prevent fire outbreaks.
“We have all undergone training before embarking on the gas business. The men of the Fire Service have also coached us at workshops and seminars on fire preventive mechanism. For now, we’ll abide by those measures to prevent fire outbreaks,” he stated.
