President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated a committee set up to avert further Tanker explosions in the country after 265 people have reportedly died in the tragic incident which has repeatedly occurred in various parts of the country since September 2024.
The president being disturbed by the enormous death toll recorded in the reoccurring incident, set up a high-powered committee on Sunday and saddled them with the responsibility of ensuring that a similar incident never repeats anywhere in the country.
This comes after 88 persons died in the wake of a tanker explosion that occurred at Dikko Junction, Niger State on Saturday night. The president while commiserating with the families of the victims, revealed that relevant agencies, including the road safety authorities, have been deployed in view to avert a repeat of the incident anywhere in the country.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris on Sunday after he led a federal government delegation on a condolence visit to the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Awwal Ibrahim.
“The President is really saddened by what has happened, and he is worried to the extent that he has said a high-powered committee is set up to look at these incidences.
“Because in the last couple of months, from September to this time, we have had four of these major incidences. We had the first one between Ibadan and Ife, where a tanker exploded. Five houses and cars and other vehicles were touched, and they were involved in fire.
“Almost a day after, here in Niger State, again, in Agai, about 48 persons lost their lives. This was on the 8th of September, the preceding year, 2024, 48 people lost their lives. Not long afterwards, on the 15th of October, again in 2024, about 144 people also lost their lives in Jigawa State in a similar incident.
“And now, only yesterday, here at Dikko Junction, within this emirate, nearly 80 people have lost their lives. Now, if you put that together, you will see that over 265 people have so far lost their lives in this kind of incident, and this is really very worrying,” Idris said.
The committee set up by the federal government comprises the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Standard Organization of Nigeria, the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association, (IPMAN), the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and other critical stakeholders like NEMA, among others.
They are saddled with the responsibility of finding out the cause as well as solution to Tanker explosions in the country. Also, the president has directed the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to step up an enlargement campaign and employ other educational strategies to sensitize and conscientize the people on the danger associated with scooping the premium motor spirit (PMS) from a fallen Tanker.
“You cannot just have tankers, by whatever reason, involved in an accident, and then people rushing to the site to scoop this petroleum product, PMS. It is absolutely wrong” Idris said.
“It has led to the lives of hundreds of people, and government will not allow this to happen again. As a result of that, this high committee will now make recommendations to government with a view to finding the last true solution to this issue.” he added.
Meanwhile, prominent Nigerians, including former President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, have also commiserated with the victims and their relatives.
