NEWS
Abia State Govt Engages Federal Authorities, Oil Stakeholders to Prevent Recurrence of Owaza Pipeline Explosion
Abia State Govt Engages Federal Authorities, Oil Stakeholders to Prevent Recurrence of Owaza Pipeline Explosion
The Abia State Government has commenced high-level engagements with relevant federal agencies and key stakeholders in the petroleum industry following the recent pipeline explosion in Owaza, Ukwa West Local Government Area of the State, as part of efforts to address the environmental and socio-economic consequences of the incident and prevent future occurrences.
The state government said the discussions are focused on immediate remediation of the affected community, strengthening the integrity of petroleum infrastructure, and ensuring the safety of residents living in oil-producing areas.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, made this known on Monday while responding to questions during a press briefing on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.
Prince Kanu explained that the state government has already initiated measures to provide relief to victims while maintaining close collaboration with operators in the oil and gas sector, regulatory agencies, and relevant federal authorities to implement lasting solutions that will forestall similar incidents.
He disclosed that both the Commissioner for Petroleum and the Commissioner for Environment had conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the affected community shortly after the explosion.
According to him, the officials also supervised the distribution of relief materials to families affected by the incident as part of the government’s immediate humanitarian response.
The commissioner further revealed that preliminary findings available to the government indicate that ageing petroleum infrastructure may have contributed to the explosion, stressing the urgent need for the replacement and upgrading of obsolete pipeline facilities to guarantee operational safety.
“The Commissioner for Petroleum was there last week together with the Commissioner for Environment, who happens to come from that community. They visited the place and assessed the extent of the damage.
“Some relief has been brought to the families affected. But most importantly, they are in touch with the federal authorities and all the relevant stakeholders in the oil industry on whatever they may need to do in terms of ensuring that this does not reoccur.
“Because we have got information that what happened may have been as a result of some old equipment that has been installed there for a long time.
“So, maybe a solution would be for them to come down and ensure that new pipelines and bolts and nuts are fixed there,” he said.
Prince Kanu reassured residents of the affected communities that the Governor Alex Otti-led administration remains committed to restoring normalcy and ensuring the safety and well-being of citizens. He also confirmed that, despite the damage caused by the explosion, no lives were lost in the incident.
The government’s intervention is expected to strengthen collaboration with federal authorities and industry operators towards improving the safety of oil facilities across Abia State, particularly in oil-producing communities vulnerable to in
frastructure failures.