FRSC and fire department involve stakeholders in constant tanker explosions
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
The Lagos State sectors of the fire service and the Federal Road Safety Corps have begun engaging stakeholders and drivers within the petroleum industry over the recent trend of tanker explosions and spillage on the roads.
PUNCH Metro reports that at least three cases of tanker accidents were recorded in Lagos State last week while another fuel tanker caught fire around the Olowotedo section of the Lagos Ibadan-Expressway on Wednesday.
The spokesperson for the FRSC, Ogun State sector, Florence Okpe, said three persons were involved in the Wednesday crash and sustained “minor injuries”, adding that “of the two tankers, one of them lost control due to speeding.”
While officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency averted another fire accident on Thursday due to a diesel tanker crash at Obadeyi before Ijaye, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, a petrol-laden tanker exploded at the Iganmu Bridge last Thursday burning other vehicles.
The director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Adeseye Margaret, in a statement, said the fire damaged 11 vehicles.
Speaking on the trend, the spokesperson for the state fire service, Amodu Shakiru, in an interview with PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, wondered why vehicle owners were not ensuring the standard condition of the tankers and hiring competent drivers, despite conveying products worth millions of naira.
“The vehicles you want to put on the road must be fit for purpose. These tankers and trailers travel widely from bases and terminals in Lagos. They travel far north. We included various unions such as the Nigeria Oil and Gas Workers Union, the Oil and Gas Senior Officials Association of Nigeria and especially the Oil Tanker Drivers Association. We always employed them,” Shakil said. said.
Sector Commander, FRSC, Lagos, Babatunde Farinloye, said command records for the past six months showed “less than two accidents per month”. Unfortunately, last week, for the first time in a long time, we observed an unusual trend of three infected people. Developing interventions for special classes of road users to reduce the level of risk.
“On August 30, the command held a discussion session with oil transportation stakeholders and presented approximately 20 viable solutions.”
“Dangerous road sharing by other road users and dangerous behavior by drivers after loading, such as fatigue, drink-driving and unreasonable speeding, are also problematic. There are also problems with other categories of Road users driving vehicles are also reminded to: Due to the different driving conditions of tanker trucks, please avoid performing dangerous maneuvers near tanker trucks. Brake, stop and avoid. It’s much more difficult to do.”
