The Senate has expressed condolences for the death of over 100 people in an explosion at the site of an illegal refinery in Abaezi community in Imo State’s Ohagi-Egbema Local Government Area on Friday.
The Senate observed a minute silence in memory of those killed in the incident during Wednesday’s plenary session, following a point of order raised by Senator Rochas Okorocha, a former governor of Imo State who represents the Imo West Senatorial District.
Okorocha informed the Senate that the incident resulted in the deaths of 110 people and plunged the state into mourning.
While noting that the explosion was caused by illegal refining activities, the lawmaker urged the Federal Government to consider legislation to enable the use of indigenous technology for artisanal and modular refineries, citing Nigeria’s refining capacity gap.
In his ruling, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, stressed the need for local refining of crude oil to boost the nation’s revenue.
Lawan also called on the Federal Government to take prompt action through the introduction of regulatory policies to prevent disasters associated with illegal refining.