Ganduje to Sanction Filing Stations With Faulty Fire Fighting Devices

The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje has threatened to sanction filing stations that do not have fire fighting devices, as well as those with faulty equipment.

Governor Ganduje’s directive is coming barely 72 hours after a massive explosion engulfed a filing station in the Kano metropolis, injuring about 70 persons.

Some of the victims of the Alhassan Filling Petroleum Company explosion were rushed to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital for treatment after sustaining varying degrees of injuries.

In a statement issued by the Director-General, Media and Public Relations, Government House Kano, Ameen Yassar, the governor expressed sadness with the turn out of events, calling on the state fire service to sanction fuel stations with faulty fire fighting devices.

The statement read in part, “We will not allow fuel to be sold under hazardous circumstances. The State Fire Service must undertake routine inspection of filling stations to ensure that they complied with all safety standards, so that lives and property are not endangered.”

Ganduje said it was necessary for fuel attendants to be trained on Health, Safety and Environmental practices, urging the fire agencies in the state to put modalities in place to educate fuel stations and attendants on best fire fighting methods.

Alhassan Ahmed, the Director of the Kano State fire service said he and his men rushed to the scene of the explosion after receiving a distress call on Saturday evening.

He said that things would not have gotten out of hand because the fighters extinguished the fire within two hours, however, a fuel attendant opened another Petroleum motor spirit compartment.

According to Ahmad, this resulted in the massive explosion that left about 70 persons with various degrees of burns.