Fear of explosion heightens, as consumers depend on cooking gas from Niger Republic

Posted on Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

By Adeola Yusuf
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, Lagos

The scarcity of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) otherwise known as cooking gas across the country has led to acute rise in its price, investigation by Daily Independent revealed on Tuesday.
Further checks showed that the scarcity, which is worsening by the day, has led some Nigerians who have embraced the gas-for-cooking campaign of the government to now depend on the cheaper product with high propane imported from the Niger Republic.
The influx of the product from the Niger Republic with 50 per cent propane, which has higher rate of combustion, has heightened fear of domestic gas explosions among gas users and retailers.
“This product, which sells for N2,500 against the N3,500 LPG from the NLNG contains 50 per cent propane, which has high combustible rate,” a retailer, who craved anonymity told Daily Independent on Tuesday.
President of the Nigeria LPG Association (NLPGA), Dayo Adeshina, and the National President, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Retailers Association of Nigeria (LPGARAN), Michael Umudu, confirmed the influx of the risky product into the Nigerian market.
The scarcity was blamed on the row over levy between the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), which accounts for 150,000 metric tonnes of LPG yearly and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Although the feuding duo have come to terms on the payment, the new accord is yet to end the scarcity across the country.
A retailer, Allied Gas Limited, cautioned gas consumers on incidents of fire and explosion, which the high propane gas could cause.
In a notice pasted by its gate, the company noted: “There is disruption of supply of normal LPG from NLNG causing increase in price. Customers are advised to beware of unsafe high propane and high pressure gas from Niger Republic selling cheap.”
Adeshina and Umudu could not be reached on phone on Tuesday, but the duo had earlier confirmed that the LPG from Niger Republic has 50 per cent propane.
Umudu however explained that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) agreed that LPG can contain up to 50 per cent of propane but not more than that, while butane can be above 50 per cent.
“The current LPG standard by SON says that propane content should be a maximum of 50 per cent and Niger Republic gas meets the standard.
“But stakeholders have been expressing concerns over the safety of LPG with high amount of propane, such as the one being imported from Niger owing to the fact that there is a lot of substandard and out dated equipment and accessories such as cylinders, storage tanks, hose, pipe cookers in the Nigeria market,” he added.