Lagos - Residents of Ijeododo in Ojo Local Government, Lagos State, have appealed to relevant authorities to provide road along the pipeline linking the community with the Badagry expressway.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Sunday that provision of such road would prevent vandals from tampering with the pipelines.
NAN reports that there was a pipeline explosion in the community on Dec. 17, which took men of the Fire service and others, five days to put out.
The explosion site was close to the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex on Badagry express way.
However, there was no casualty, according to Mr Ibrahim, Farinloye, the Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) South West zone.
The residents said the provision of good road would expose the pipelines and prevent it being further vandalised.
Mr Sabinus Igbozulike, an environmental protection practitioner, told NAN that the permanent solution was to create a thorough fare from Ijeododo to Abule Ado end of the pipeline.
"This will secure the pipeline permanently as human and vehicular traffic on the road will deter vandals of any sort," he said.
He said that the swampy terrain and lack of access to Abuleado "created a safe haven for criminals and vandals".
Commenting on the environmental effect of the disaster, Igbozulike said that the recurring disaster was creating acid rain.
"This recurring disaster creates acid rain, which has affected vegetation and has caused roofs to roast and develop holes."
He added that the community was already battling with respiratory tract infection caused by the previous disaster.
Mr Sunday Bienose, a dispatch rider, urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation to concentrate on filling up the swamp to create a road.
"The resources expended on fighting fire annually can be used to sand filling the swamp and make the place accessible," he said.
He observed that if the place could be made accessible, vandals would find it difficult breaking pipes.
Mr Segun Alara, a lecturer, who resides in Agaye, close to the site, said that the community had been in blackout since the incident.
"Each time such a disaster occurs, it takes more than seven months for us to have electricity which has just begun," the lecturer said.
He said that residents were made to pay N7 000 per house last year to clear electricity fault.
Alara feared that they might be asked to pay again before the power could be restored to the area.
A resident who pleaded anonymity told NAN that the leadership and stakeholders in oil sector should be alive to their responsibilities.
"The leadership of the community should be held responsible for the recurring disaster as the vandals are not far away," he said.
- NAN