Fresh indications have emerged indicating that paucity of funds and lack of financial commitments from the management of some of the tank farms may have stalled the planned upgrading and purchase of high tech security gadgets to forestall external invasion at the Ibafon tank farms along Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
Fresh indications have emerged indicating that paucity of funds and lack of financial commitments from the management of some of the tank farms may have stalled the planned upgrading and purchase of high tech security gadgets to forestall external invasion at the Ibafon tank farms along Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
Highly placed sources within the stakeholders’ committee of the tank farm operators at the axis confirmed to Shipping Position Daily that the operators had planned to install close circuit television monitors around the area as well as purchase bomb detector devices but that these have not seen the light of day as a result of poor financial commitment.
Our source who pleaded anonymity confirmed that many of the tank farms do not have bomb detectors, which ordinarily should be at the entrance of all the depots, especially in the face of the insecurity in the country.
It would also be recalled that the chairman of the stakeholders committee, Mr. Geoffrey Okorie had told our correspondent in January this year that the stakeholders had since last year been planning to import a sophisticated and customized fire fighting truck which will serve all the depots within the axis in case of fire incident.
But he had also told our correspondent that the committee needed funds to send delegates abroad to effect the completion of the contract and subsequent importation of the truck.
Our source however explained that, “we don’t have the capability to acquire gargets like bomb detectors, at one time we had a meeting where it was agreed to procure those items, but because of finance, we have not been able to get them”.
He explained that even though there is presence of the Navy as well as the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps at the tank farms, security is mostly done superfacially . According to him, “NUPENG know their members, they know the genuine people that want to come and load product”.
Following the recent discovery of arms at the Ijora axis of Lagos from suspected Boko Haram members, the tank farms had cancelled night operations and had instructed all operators to be on red alert.
But our source said that, “it is human nature, when a human being spots a threat he tries to react on time, this is what we have, and we tend to relax when we see that the threat is no longer there”.
While speaking on the security at the jetty, he said that, “without the cooperation of the officers at the jetty and the crew onboard, sea robbers cannot come to the jetty, they come to the ship to buy product, ordinarily, if they do not have any business with it, people onboard cannot see a wooden boat coming alongside and allow it to come on, so there must be a form of familiarity with the people onboard and those in charge of the area”.
Discussion about this post