THE federal government Sunday said no fewer than 265 people have lost their lives from petrol tanker explosions between September 2024 and January 2025 across the country.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, stated this when he led a federal government delegation which included Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Nentawe Yilwatda to Dikko Junction in Suleja, the scene of the Saturday explosion.
Speaking at the Suleja General Hospital where some of the victims are being treated, the minister said the federal government will do everything possible to ensure that survivors get adequate medical attention.
Idris, while thanking the Niger State governor, Umaru Bago, for his quick response, said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that the victims be transferred to tertiary health facilities to ensure they receive prompt and enhanced medical care.
“Sadly, as we are in the hospital, one of the victims died. We were told that that eight of the victims died today and what we are seeing is the dire need of emergency medical attention, which the Federal Government is taking”, he said.
Earlier at the palace of Emir of Zazzau Suleja, Alhaji Awwal Ibrahim, the minister, who expressed sadness over incessant tanker explosions in the country, said the federal government has set up a committee comprising critical stakeholders with a view to finding the remote and immediate causes of these incidents in order to avoid reoccurrence.
He said: “The federal government and indeed all Nigerians are saddened by what happened. If you look at these incidents, in the last couple of months, from September to this time, we’ve had four of these major incidences.
“We had the first one between Ibadan and Ife, where a tanker exploded. Houses and cars and other vehicles were torched.
”A day after, here in Niger State, again in Agayi about 48 persons lost their lives. This was on 8 September 2024, and 48 people lost their lives.
“Now, 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.
“Government is very worried about that, and as a result of that, has set up a committee comprising the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, other critical stakeholders like National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), like Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), like the Petrol and Tanker Drivers Association, (IPMAN) and all other stakeholders, to come together to find the remote and immediate causes of these incidents and how to avert the reoccurrence of these incidents as we move on.”
The minister also said President Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the National Orientation Agency to step up awareness campaigns to discourage people from scooping fuel whenever there is a tanker accident.
According to the minister, “Mr. President is really very saddened by this and he is determined to bring an end to this kind of occurrence. And as a result of that, he has directed the National Orientation Agency under my ministry to step up the enlightenment campaign and education of people. You cannot just have tankers by whatever reason involved in an accident, and then people rushing to site to scoop products. It is absolutely wrong. It has led to the loss of lives of hundreds of people, and government will not allow this to happen again.
“As a result of that, this high-powered committee will now make recommendations to government with a view to finding a lasting solution to this issue.”
The minister also urged traditional institutions and stakeholders to partner with the government in educating the people on the dangers of scooping fuel from tankers involved in accidents.
“We call on the general public, and we want to use the traditional institutions, especially the royal father here sitting, to enlighten the public that it is wrong when a tanker is involved in an accident for people to rush to that scene with the intention of scoping petrol from that scene.
“It has happened in so many places, and this occurrence cannot be allowed to continue again. We need to step up our public enlightenment campaign, together with all the traditional rulers, all the opinion moulders in the society and all the critical stakeholders so that this kind of incident will not occur again.
“As we leave here, we’re going to visit the hospital to see those that are injured and what immediate measures, as directed by the President will be taken to ensure that they recover very fast.
“We also want to thank the Government of Niger State led by His Excellency Governor Umar Bago for the first response that he has done.
“The Niger State government has been very proactive. We call on them to do more to help in the education of our people so that events like this don’t happen again.
“On a final note, let me once again commiserate with you, the royal highness, over what has happened. And we pray to the Almighty Allah to grant the departed paradise.
”For all those that are in the hospital, we pray that they get well soon. And we urge all those who have the capacity to support to also rally around government to ensure that this is brought to a permanent end,” he aids.
Eighteen-Eleven Media