Spatial Assessment of Petrol Stations in Ibadan Metropolis Nigeria

The number of petrol stations in Nigerian cities like Ibadan is growing rapidly without adhering to spatial planning regulations, particularly minimum distance requirements that raise safety concerns, such as petrol station fire risk, and emphasizes the need for spatial analysis to support sustainable urban growth. This study uses Geographic Information System techniques, government location criteria, and supporting literature to evaluate the spatial distribution of petrol stations in Ibadan Metropolis. A handheld Global Positioning System was used to obtain the coordinates of petrol stations, and the Nearest Neighbour Analysis was used to evaluate spatial patterns. GIS analysis reveals widespread overlapping buffers of petrol stations, implying areas of high cumulative risk following disregard for the required 400m buffer between petrol stations. Nearest Neighbour Analysis reveals clustering of petrol stations because the expected mean distance between petrol stations was 473.9 meters, whereas the observed mean distance was 346.1 meters. A statistically significant deviation from randomness was established by a Nearest Neighbour Ratio of 0.730542 and a Z-score of –6.164390. These findings demonstrate the inadequacies of current planning frameworks and the inadequate application of spatial planning regulations. The report suggests enforcing petrol station siting requirements and bolstering urban regulatory organizations to improve emergency readiness to lessen the effects of associated risks. Equally, further studies utilizing sophisticated spatial analytics and routine environmental evaluations are required.