RUPTURED GAS PIPELINE DISRUPTS ACTIVITIES ON LAGOS-IBADAN EXPRESSWAY

A ruptured gas pipeline disrupted socio-economic activities around Magboro, near The Punch Place on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Wednesday morning. A travel advisory issued by the Federal Road Safety Corps' Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, said the pipeline got burst while construction workers from Julius Berger construction company working on the highway were excavating the surface. The situation, according to the FRSC, led to heavy vehicular traffic on both sections of the road. "Motorists are advised not to panic as professionals are being contacted to take care of the situation. "Those who have  time-bound activities have been advised to explore alternative routes and for those who can postpone their trips should endeavor to do so while the situation gets controlled", Kazeem said. Emergency responders including the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency rushed to the scene to take care of the situation. "The line has been shut down and the area cordoned off while motorists are being diverted. Operation is ongoing", the Director General of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said in a short message. NEMA on its part appealed to commuters and motorists especially,  those around Arepo, to comply with all the safety measures to safeguard lives and property while the operation lasted. Ibrahim Farinloye, NEMA Coordinator in the Southwest,  said gas supplies were immediately shut down to "suffocate the supply line while fire service are on standby to forestall any emergency." He assured that all the relevant agencies including the Department of Petroleum Resources, the Nigeria Gas Company, the Ogun State Fire Service  and others, were working to put the situation under control. The situation was effectively taken care of at about noon. The gas leakage was stopped and the road reopened to traffic but supplies of LPG could not resume immediately because of the need to conclude the repairs of the ruptured pipeline. "The Nigerian Gas Marketing Company has mobilised specialist to commence repair work", an update from NEMA said. "The Gas Marketing Company is presently considering actions against Julius Berger to serve as as deterrent as this incident was the second caused by the JB," NEMA further said.

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