The Rivers State Coordinator of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Engineer Ololade Ayoola, has threatened to withdraw the operating licenses of some businesses in the state over poor handling of gas.
Ayoola recently gave the warning in Port Harcourt, while speaking during a workshop tagged “General sensitization on SON certification of Liquefied gas(Lpg) Tanks and vessels”.
Ayoola, who referred to Rivers State as the hub of activities of oil and gas in the country said the workshop was aimed at creating awareness as well as sensitising stakeholders on the best practices on how to operate in line with SON’s quality control efforts.
“We want to intimate them on the mandate of SON and to make them aware that certifications of this tanks now form a requirement for them to have DPR licenses to operate.”
Speaking further, Engineer Ayoola disclosed that SON is stepping up efforts to enforce compliance to regulations guiding manufacturing and importation of gas equipment such as cylinders and tanks due to the dangers posed by Liquefied Petroleum Gas.
Penalties for non-compliance: The state coordinator said that the penalties for non-compliance include the collection of certificates as well as the shutting down of facilities. However, the facilities will only be shut down after all other options of encouraging such plant owners have been explored.
The participants were trained on handling fires caused by gas explosions as well as other safety tips, while consumers were told to desist from patronizing roadside gas vendors whose operations the SON says remain illegal.
About SON: The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) is the statutory body charged with the responsibility of standardizing, certificating, assisting in and regulating the quality of all products in Nigeria as well as advising the Federal Government of Nigeria generally on the national policy on standards.
