Energy expert raises alarm over adulterated gas in Ogun
By Adejoke Adeleye
The Chief Executive Officer of Ecogas Energy Resources Ltd, Chief Shina Luwoye has raised the alarm over the persistent syndicate of petroleum product diversion, adulteration, and unsafe domestic gas practices across Ogun State and major transit corridors in the South-West.
Luwoye made the disclosure in Abeokuta while receiving executive members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun State Council, who paid a courtesy visit to the company’s headquarters.
According to him, illicit product siphoning locally referred to among cartels as “truck parties”, involves rogue tanker drivers conniving with criminal elements within host communities to steal and compromise white products in transit.
He revealed that although Ecogas has deployed strict tracking and monitoring systems to secure its own fleet, the wider society remains at grave risk due to unchecked activities along key highway corridors.
Specifically, he identified the Ogere corridor, the Ijebu-Ode axis for products heading northwards, and the Ore stretch for supplies moving from the Dangote Refinery toward the East and Central South-West as notorious hotspots for these illegalities.
Lamenting the conspiracy of silence surrounding the menace, he noted that while local communities are fully aware of the illicit operations, relevant government authorities often remain in the dark, worsened by transport unions shielding erring members when reported.
”These are things that are going on that people in the communities know, but government may not know that such illegalities are happening.
“Even when their members are reported, the unions try to cover them up. It has become what we call open secrets, and somebody needs to bell the cat so we can address it,” he stated.
Turning to domestic safety, the Ecogas chief warned Nigerian households against the continued use of expired and compromised Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, describing them as ticking time bombs capable of triggering devastating home explosions.
He observed that many residents mistake a functional-looking or freshly repainted cylinder for a safe one, comparing the habit to driving a vehicle on expired tyres simply because they have not yet burst.
To tackle the hazard without worsening the economic burden on citizens, he called on the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to license and empower private operators to establish local cylinder revalidation, calibration, and pressure-testing plants.
He, however, decried bottlenecks at the nation’s ports and multiple regulatory levies from agencies such as SON, the Ministry of Environment, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) bodies, noting that 100 per cent import duties and months of cargo delays may discourage investment in safety infrastructure.
Offering practical safety advice to consumers, the CEO stressed that the vast majority of domestic gas leaks stem from neglected accessories rather than the cylinders themselves, urging households to replace their gas hoses and camp burners at least once every year.
Earlier in her remarks, the Chairman of the NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Yetunde Fatungase commended Ecogas Energy Resources Ltd. for driving private-sector investment, job creation, and sustainable energy development, pledging the chapel’s readiness to partner with the firm in driving public safety enlightenment across Ogun State.