The recent road crash in Felele, along Lokoja-Abuja highway, involving a 33,000-litre petrol tanker in which no fewer than 30 persons, including five students of Kogi State Polytechnic and three children on their way to nursery class, were killed was indeed a sad development. The tragedy was not only an unfortunate occurrence for Kogi state but also for the entire country which had recorded one death too many as a consequence of rising insecurity.
The petrol tanker, fully loaded with premium motor spirit, PMS, or petrol, belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), heading to Abuja, experienced brake failure around 7 am and rammed into five cars, two motorbikes and three tricycles, popularly known as Keke Napep, killing all the occupants.
Among those killed and burnt beyond recognition were five students of the state-owned polytechnic, three nursery school students and passersby. Also, a businessman identified as Samson Olu, a sewing machine dealer in Lokoja, his wife, sister and three children were among those killed in the early morning tragedy.
The sector commander of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) told reporters shortly after the incident that the brake of the tanker loaded with PMS failed and in an attempt to maneuver, fell on its side and smashed five vehicles trying to overtake it in the melee. However, the sector commander, Idris Fika Ali, said 23 persons were killed in the explosion while one child escaped with injuries.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that the death of 23 people, as confirmed by the Federal Road Safety Commission, “represents another disturbing and saddening incident in the litany of tragedies that have befallen our country.” Reacting to the petroleum tanker explosion in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital, which claimed the lives of travellers, school children, bystanders, including some students of Kogi State Polytechnic, President Buhari in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, said that “I am seriously worried about the frequency of these unfortunate and large scale tragedies in the country which cause needless deaths.”
“Many accidents are preventable if proper proactive and precautionary measures are put in place or properly observed as routine policies. Ours is a country where we move on whenever tragedies occur instead of taking preventive safety measures to forestall future calamities.” The president therefore called on the county’s transport authorities, traffic and road management agencies as well as law enforcement officials to sit up and enforce safety standards with more seriousness.
He added, “Refusal to do the right thing can cause potential tragic problems that harm innocent people. Nigeria is not having a shortage of laws and regulations, but our problem is lack of zeal to enforce those laws and regulations for the sake of public safety.” He condoled with the state government and the bereaved families.
Also, the Kogi state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has expressed shock and sorrow over the fatal tanker explosion. A statement issued immediately after the incident by the chief press secretary to the governor, Onogwu Mohammed, said that “Governor Bello is very sad to learn of the tragic loss of lives, many vehicles, property and other valuables in the petrol tanker fire while expressing his deepest condolences to the family of those affected by the ugly occurrence.” The state deputy governor, Edward Onoja, in a statement issued by his chief press secretary, Promise Emmanuel, expressed shock over the incident.
The Kogi state government subsequently declared a two-day mourning for victims of the accident. In a statement, the Kogi Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, said: “The governor and the government of Kogi state are saddened by the unfortunate incident that claimed many lives in the early hours of today
“The people are the state. Therefore, the primary responsibility of the government is to ensure the safety and well-being of the Kogi people. As a result of the importance placed on the lives of our people, the government has declared a two-day state mourning to honour the departed souls. In this time of grief, we urge the people to be deep in sober reflection and stand together for one another to pull out of the agonising loss.”
We condole with the Kogi state government and the bereaved families over the tragic incident. However, it is pertinent to advise governors of the 19 northern states on the propriety of prioritising the fixing of federal roads in their respective domains. It is inexplicable that whereas states like Kano made claims of N4 billion and Niger state made claims of less than N400 million on road rehabilitation from the federal government, states from the South-south and South-east were paid claims ranging from N40 billion to over N100 billion.
