A principal research officer at the Institute of Energy Security (IES), Richmond Rockson, has asked the government to task independent bodies to conduct the auditing of the gas filling stations in the country.

Following the gas explosion that occurred at the Atomic Junction, Madina on Saturday, October 6, President Nana Addo Dankwa Aufo-Addo has directed that some steps should be taken to ensure the safety of citizens.

These steps include, among others, a review the safety protocols along the entire value chain through the combined efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), National Fire Service (NFS), Town and Country Planning Department of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Factories Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.

But commenting on this in an interview with Accra News on Friday, October 13 Mr Rockson said these institutions that have been mandated to do the auditing have in the past failed to act, therefore, that responsibility should be entrusted to independent bodies.

He said: “This is something that the NPA should have done over the years, you don’t need a presidential directive to do it, but now the presidency has ordered, and so let’s make sure that we do it.

“The auditing of the retail stations, I think should be given to independent private institution because the people who have been tasked to do that are the same people who have been there and have failed to do the work.

“I don’t know what different thing they are going to do.”