A petrol tanker explosion at Dikko Junction, Niger State, has claimed 86 lives and injured 55 others. The incident occurred on Saturday when a speeding fuel tanker crashed and exploded, engulfing people scooping fuel in flames.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago has visited the scene and has issued a ban on vehicles coming from the Maje axis from passing over the Dikko Bridge.
The governor also directed the establishment of a detachment of the Federal Road Safety Corps to enforce the directive.
The Federal Government directed the immediate transfer of victims to tertiary health facilities for enhanced medical care.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris announced this during a visit to the scene and Suleija General Hospital.
Idris said the government was grieved at the loss of approximately 265 lives to tanker explosions in the past five months.
President Orders Investigation
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had constituted a committee to investigate these incidents’ root and immediate causes.
“The President is really saddened by what has happened, and he is worried to the extent that he has said that a high-powered committee is set up to look at these incidences,” Idris said.
The committee comprises stakeholders from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and other critical agencies.
The National Orientation Agency will intensify public awareness campaigns to educate citizens on the dangers of scooping petroleum products following fuel tanker accidents.
The Minister also commended the Niger State Government for its swift response to the incident. “The Niger State Government has done very well in responding to this emergency,” he said.
Yet the root causes of these incidents are not far-fetched. They stem from the dearth of pipe and rail infrastructure, which should be the safer ways of transporting highly combustible goods like petrol.
As long as heavy tankers have to share the roads with light vehicles and pedestrians, sad incidences like this are not hard to imagine.
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