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Petroleum Ministry, others indifferent to fears on tankfarms proliferation

By Stanley Opara
05 October 2018   |   4:54 am
Residents of Satellite Town, in Lagos, have raised an alarm over what they described as very deplorable situation in the area owing to infiltration of petroleum products tank farms, tankers and trailers. They also expressed shock over the indifference of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Ministry of State for Petroleum Resources, the Ministry of the…

Tank farm

Residents of Satellite Town, in Lagos, have raised an alarm over what they described as very deplorable situation in the area owing to infiltration of petroleum products tank farms, tankers and trailers.

They also expressed shock over the indifference of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Ministry of State for Petroleum Resources, the Ministry of the Environment and the Nigerian Ports Authority; which are government bodies responsible for driving best practices in the concerned sectors.

Satellite Town stretches from Alakija to Abuleado along Badagry Expressway to the Waterside area and beyond. Along the waterside, an area of just about half a kilometre is concentrated a disparate group of 36 tank farms.

When The Guardian reached the DPR and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, they declined to comment, and did not reply to emails sent to them to that effect.

But in a letter to the Lagos State Government, they complained about unpleasant activities of trailers operating at Bonded Warehouse in Alakija.

The residents implored the government, “to come and save the community and its people before it is too late owing to the overpowering stench of captivity, slur in human activity and total subjection of residents to a peculiarly reprehensible squalor of state of nature constituted by these behemoths.”

The letter signed by the Satellite Central Residents Association, also read in part: “More are still springing up. This is in addition to bonded terminal at Alakija with its unending fleet of trailers.

The location of these facilities in this thick residential area without due consideration for residents, closeness to residential areas, and provision of alternative vehicular routes and adequate facilities has so negatively impacted the Satellite community.”

The residents said flood, which streamed from the expressway down many natural and slimly and largely under-constructed routes to the waterside could no longer enter the sea where tank farms elegantly block natural flood channels.

“It is consequently forced back into estates, streets, and homes.”
They said houses were being submerged; the environment being polluted by stagnant polluted water and dampness, which are currently raising the fear of epidemics and death.

“No road had been added since the arrival of the tankers and trailers; rather, we experience continuous disrepair of existing narrow road to waterside where the tank farms are located.”

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