The Senate has mourned the over 100 persons killed by an explosion at the site of an illegal refinery in Abaezi community in the Ohagi-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State on Friday.
At the plenary on Wednesday, the Senate observed a minute silence in honour of those who died in the incident based on a point of order raised by a former Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, who is representing Imo West Senatorial District.
Okorocha informed the Senate that the incident led to the death of 110 persons, while the tragic incident had thrown the state into mourning.
While noting that the explosion was caused by illegal refining activities, the lawmaker called on the Federal Government to consider legislation to provide for local technology for artisanal and modular refinery considering the gap in Nigeria’s refining capacity.
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.
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