Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Peter Abum Sarkodie has assured students of the University of Professional Studies, Accra of their safety following their protests for the removal of the Sel fuel station operating right behind the school premises.

According to Mr. Sarkodie, the fuel station is being operated in adherence to strict security measures, noting that the EPA in partnership with the Ghana Standards Authority and COPEC will conduct periodic checks on the facility to ensure that they continue to adopt proper safety measures.

Speaking at a ‘fact-finding mission’ organised by the EPA, Ghana Standards Authority and COPEC, Mr. Sarkodie stated that he is impressed with the safety measures available at the said fuel station, adding that the university committee should not have any reason to protest.

“We have looked at the safety facilities and they are of standard. I am very much impressed about the safety measures that are available here and I think that the university authorities should be rest assured that they are in safe hands. We will also make it a point to accelerate the inspection of the site,’’ he revealed.

Deputy Executive Director of the Ghana Standards Authority, Dr. Opoku Adusei also indicated that fuel stations will be checked four times a year to ensure their non-deterioration; thus avoiding any danger it may pose to people living within its proximity.

He, therefore, assured residents living within the environs of the fuel station, especially students of UPSA that state institutions are working to prevent disaster reoccurrence akin to the Atomic Junction gas explosion across the country.

“I think calm should be restored and people must be assured of the fuel station’s safety because institutions of the state are working hard to ensure that the right things are done. They have been checked properly…we check twice a year but the new policy is that we are going to check four times a year,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, Registrar of the University of Professional Studies, Dr. Seidu Mustapha has charged regulatory bodies to provide in-depth information and education to the public on safety issues.

He, therefore, agreed to brief and convince the students on the safety measures that have been put in place by the Sel fuel station as well as to assure them of their safety.

‘’when we allow information flow, some of these things would have been removed earlier. The lack of provision to people has brought about this misunderstanding. Once there is no information you have created the vacuum for all sorts of speculations. We will explain to the students based on the technical explanation we have been given here…we must guide and convince them on the situation’’.

Background

Students of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), on Monday staged a demonstration on campus against the siting of a fuel station close to the school.

The students, who have been protesting the siting of the fuel station since January 2017, claiming that it poses a threat to their lives following the gas explosion that occurred at Atomic Junction last Saturday, killing 7 and injuring 132.