Nigerian President Bola Tinubu will establish a high-level committee to look into the recurrent tanker explosions and put safety precautions in place to stop the catastrophe.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, made the statement when he visited the Palace of the Emir of Suleja on Sunday to offer condolences to the victims of the tanker explosion that occurred Saturday in Dikko Junction, in the Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State.
He noted that the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, tanker drivers’ associations, and other relevant parties will be represented on the committee.
The minister hinted that his ministry would conduct education campaigns about safe fuel tanker transportation, safe driving practices, and the risks of scooping up leaky petroleum.
Top government officials and Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, accompanied Mohammed to the state.
Additionally, the delegation intended to visit several Suleja hospitals, where 55 injured people were taken for immediate medical care. The Dikko crossroads, which serves as a sobering reminder of the possible risks posed by fuel tankers on Nigerian highways, was another destination the delegation had planned to visit.
Scooping fuel from a downed tanker on Saturday, January 18, 2025, resulted in at least 86 fatalities and 55 injuries.
At least five people were murdered earlier in January 2025 when a gasoline-laden tanker in Delta State’s Agbor district lost control and caught fire.
Over 170 people were killed and numerous others were injured in a fuel truck explosion in Jigawa State in October 2024.
A truck transporting passengers and cattle collided with a petrol tanker in northeastern Niger State in September 2024, resulting in the deaths of at least 59 persons.
In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and the country experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation, tanker explosions took place at a time when petrol has become a valuable commodity.
Fuel prices have more than fivefold increased since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, making it difficult for many people to obtain it.
With a nearly three-decade high of over 34% in June and a decline to 32.7% in September, inflation has been hovering around 30% for months.
A 2018 World Bank survey found that 56% of Nigerians live below the poverty line, up from 40% in 2018.
