The House of Representatives may soon be up with a Bill seeking a law to regulate the production, installation and use of CNG tanks and systems in vehicles, over safety concerns.
This it believed will ensure such processes meet internationally accepted safety standards and prevent the fabrication of substandard CNG tanks by unqualified individuals.
The House has further mandated its Committee on Gas Resources and the Committee on Industry to jointly investigate the CNG cylinder explosion in Edo State, which resulted in tragic loss of lives and severe injuries, to identify the causes and prevent future occurrences.
It has also urged relevant department of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) to collaborate on enforcing strict certification standards for the production and installation of CNG tanks and ensure that only qualified and accredited workshops are authorized to carry out CNG vehicle conversions.
The resolution on Wednesday was fallout of a motion by Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, who noted that it was a call “for urgent legislative action to back the Presidential CNG Initiative and prevent further loss of lives due to the use of substandard CNG tanks”.
The lawmaker insisted that the House “must act swiftly to protect the lives of Nigerians and ensure that the adoption of CNG technology remains a safe and viable alternative for the country”, adding that through a comprehensive legal framework, periodic inspections and enforcement of safety standards, the risk of future CNG-related tragedies can be significantly mitigated.
