Disturbed by the number of persons reportedly lost to repeated incidences of tanker explosions in parts of the country, between September 2024 and now, currently standing at 265 souls, President Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, set up a high-powered committee mandated to halt a reoccurrence of such accidents.
This decision followed the death of 88 persons in the wake of a tanker explosion that occurred at Dikko Junction, Niger State, Saturday night.
The president, while mourning the victims, however, instructed the security relevant agencies, and road safety authorities to deploy to work with a view to averting a repeat anywhere in the country.
At the same time, Tinubu has mandated the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to sensitise the public about risks of scooping fuel from fallen tankers.
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.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Sunday, when he led a federal government delegation, including the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Netanwe Yilwatda, 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.
As a result, the federal government has set up a committee comprising the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, other critical stakeholders like NEMA, Standard Organization of Nigeria, the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association, (IPMAN) and all other stakeholders to determine the remote and immediate causes of, and how to avert the occurrence or the reoccurrence of fuel tanker explosions.
Idris added that the president had directed the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to step up an enlargement campaign and education of people, to the effect that it was not proper for people to arbitrarily rush to the scene to scoop fuel whenever there is an accident involving tankers.
“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.
“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.”
To this end, Idris announced that the federal government has directed the immediate transfer of victims from Suleja General Hospital to tertiary health facilities to ensure they receive prompt and enhanced medical care.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deeply saddened by what has happened. He asked us to come here to see the situation. We have just gone round the wards and we have seen those that are very critically injured.
“As we are visiting, one of them unfortunately passed on and we were told that this is the eighth victim of the fire explosion that has just passed on today and what we are seeing is the dire need of emergency medical attention, which the Federal Government is taking.
“The Minister of Heath and the National Emergency Management Agency and all agencies of government will ensure that all these victims are immediately evacuated and taken to Intensive Care Unit of the immediate available tertiary institutions,” he said.
In yet a statement by the president’s Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu underscored the tragic and preventable nature of the incident, as many victims were those scooping Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the overturned tanker.
He subsequently directed the provision of comprehensive medical care to the injured andstrongly advised all citizens to exercise caution and avoid approaching accident sites, especially those involving fuel-laden vehicles, due to their highly explosive nature.
He also mandated the National Orientation Agency to initiate a nationwide educational campaign that would raise public awareness about the severe risks and environmental dangers of scooping fuel from fallen tankers.
However, the minister, who thanked the Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, for providing the first response when the incident happened, and urged him to do more in the enlightenment of the citizenry, later paid a visit to some of the victims at the Suleja General Hospital as well the scene of the explosion, with his delegation.
Earlier the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Awwal Ibrahim, thanked the president for sending the delegation and for the humanitarian effort that was carried out by the Ministry of Humanitarian and NEMA .
He also appealed to government to set up outward viewing centres for public enlightenment and to convey mini townhall meetings for government officials to enlighten people on the dangers of these behaviours that lead to death and destruction.
He appealed to people to always be contented and not to put themselves in harm’s way.
Apart from those that died at the scene of the explosion, the Emir said 50 people died in the hospital between Saturday night and Sunday.
The death toll has however risen to 88 from the initial 50.
Director General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah, said in a statement this morning that the corpses of the deceased were recovered from the scene of the accident.
Arah said the number of those injured had equally risen to 55, adding that one of those injured and admitted at the hospital had also died.
According to Arah 80 corpses had been given mass burial by the Agency in collaboration with Gurara LGA and “very brave, kind-hearted volunteers” between the hours of 5pm on Saturday to 12am this Sunday.
He added that five of the corpses were carried away for burial in the town by relatives. One of those burnt was dressed in the uniform of one of the nation’s security outfits.
Several houses and shops were also completely razed in the inferno leading to the loss of millions of naira.
Bago, who was on an inspection visit to the area hurriedly visited the scene of the disaster, where he described the incident as “shocking unfortunate and worrisome.”
Bago also gave directives he intended to stop future occurrence as well as directed Medical Doctors from Minna General Hospital to move to New Wuse and Suleja General hospitals to assist in attending to those injured.
More and more Nigerians have continued to sympathise with victims and the state government over the unfortunate incident.