MARKET ACCESSIBILITY, REGULATORY GOVERNANCE, AND PUBLIC-SAFETY RISKS AROUND PETROL FILLING STATIONS IN KEFFI, NIGERIA

Petrol filling stations contribute to urban transportation but generate land-use conflicts when commercial locations are poorly linked to safety and pollution controls. This research investigated location factors, hazard perceptions, and preferred risk-control measures among stakeholders in Keffi Local Government Area, Nigeria. It used a cross-sectional mixed method involving interviews with petroleum marketers and town planners and structured interviews with 382 respondents, with field observation, and informal interviews of marketers with respondents (in their vehicles). Structured interviews asked a series of open-ended questions with multiple responses. Interview respondents included station attendants, passengers or drivers, station managers, regulators, medical or teaching personnel, and residents or other community members. Descriptive frequencies and percentages, with multiple responses permitted, were used, and location factors with multiple responses were identified by cross-tabulation. Locations were associated with traffic flow, exit-road access, adjacency to motor parks and junctions, and vehicle entry and departure ease. Out of 43 inventoried stations, 26 sat along three major exit routes, 19 near motor parks, and 27 in convenient locations for station users. Environmental pollution (51.8%) was most often cited, followed by atmospheric pollution (45.0%), accidents (32.5%), and fire or explosion (25.1%) effects. Appropriate measures included fire-fighting equipment (64.4%), prevention of leakage (55.5%), improved enforcement of planning regulations (51.8%), and routine safety inspections (46.1%). The study highlighted underlying tensions between market-centered accessibility goals and precautionary city planning objectives, as well as a preference for both local control measures and an emphasis on the role of institutions. The author recommends integrated authorization, routine risk-based safety inspections, accident and risk management planning, community notification mechanisms, and station relocation or modification. Because the Master thesis does not report the results of a completed inferential test, the study should be viewed as an exploration of perceptions and observed associations rather than a causal analysis.