The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said the explosion at a Mobil filling station in Lagos had nothing to do with the recently launched Compressed Natural Gas stations in the state.
However, in the statement signed by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, on Thursday, the national oil company failed to mention the name of the affected fuel station, according to Arise News.
The facility belonging to Mobil, located in Ikeja, had earlier been gutted by fire.
“The NNPC wishes to state that the reported explosion at a filling station in Ikeja, Lagos, has nothing to do with the recently commissioned NNPC Gas Marketing Ltd (NGML)/NIPCO Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Stations, which are currently functioning and running safely without any incident.
“The NNPC Ltd also wishes to add that the NGML was not affected by the explosion; it is not involved in the activities of the affected station and all NGML facilities in Lagos, including pipelines, metering stations, above-ground installation and CNG facilities are in safe operating condition,” the brief statement said.
Following the fire incident the facility, petroleum products marketer, 11Plc (formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc) has closed temporarily its filling station on Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement, the firm said that the service station will be temporarily closed, citing public safety as the reason for the closure.
It stated its immediate response team in collaboration with the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Civil Defence Agency had effectively extinguished the fire.
The downstream operator further said that it was collaborating with the appropriate government agencies to carry out an investigation aimed at determining the cause of the incident.
It also stated that they were determining the extent of the damage and taking the required steps to prevent future occurrence of such incidents.
The statement said: “We regret to inform the general public that a fire incident occured today at about 11 am, August 8, 2024, at our Mobil Station at Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja. Our immediate response team, in collaboration with the Lagos State Fire Service, LASEMA, FRSC, the Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Civil Defence Agency effectively extinguished the fire.
“In the interest of public safety, we have temporarily closed the station until further notice. Our company is cooperating fully with relevant government agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to the ascertain the cause of the fire.
“Additionally, we are assessing the extent of the damage and implementing necessary measures to minimize the likelihood of similar incidents in the future. We can confirm that those who suffered injuries have been evacuated to a nearby hospital.”
However, 11Plc stated that priorities safety as its core value. It reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of the public, consumers, and staff.
