By Olamilekan FAWAS
The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, on Monday said there was no casualty recorded at the fire incident that occurred at the NNPC Minna depot, Niger, on July 7.
Baru confirmed this in an interview with journalists on the sideline of the ongoing Seven Critical Gas Development Projects (7CGDP) workshop in Lagos.
TBI Africa reports that on July 7, fire gutted the NNPC Minna depot, as some people were scooping fuel from a leaking tank.
”There was an unfortunate incident on Saturday night and early Sunday morning where floating roof of one of our tanks in Minna came down.
“Unfortunately, some petrol from our storage, which is part four strategic storage plan, spilled from the tank. There was no incidence of casuality even though some spilled outside the fence of the depot into the environment.
“Some residents scooped from the spilled fuel and stored it in a pickup truck.
“Unfortunately, the truck caught fire and affected the depot but there was no life lost because the suspects took to their heels when they saw fire.
“The fire fighters extinguished the fire within hours. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the second fire that was noticed within the depot,” he said.
The GMD said it was not true that there were fatalities, as reported by an electronic medium, saying it was wrong to have reported fatalities without proof.
Speaking on the workshop, Baru said, “gas flaring is a major challenge but from where we are coming, I will say the challenge has been tamed. If you look at what happens 10 years ago with what we were flaring at over 20 per cent, and as per DPR information, we are now at nine per cent.
“Most of the big flares could easily be distinguished but there are small flares that are heavily uneconomical together and very difficult to put together.
“This would be dealt with under the 7-Critical Gas Development Projects which some of these small gas flare will find their way into this project and we are saying that within the next five to 10 years, there will be zero flaring in Nigeria.
“There is also an effort through Nigeria Flare Gas Commercialisation scheme whereby government will make available any flared gas free of charge to willing investors except for handling fees that will be paid to the operators of that field then the investors will utilise the flared gas by putting it into useful purposes.”
