Kehinde Fajobi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to establish a high-powered committee to investigate recurring fuel tanker explosions across Nigeria and implement measures to prevent further tragedies.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Sunday while visiting the Emir of Suleja to commiserate with victims of Saturday’s tanker explosion at Dikko Junction in Niger State’s Gurara Local Government Area.
According to Idris, the committee will include representatives from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), tanker drivers’ associations, and other stakeholders.
He also announced plans for a public enlightenment campaign on fuel tanker safety, road safety practices, and the dangers of fuel scooping.
Accompanied by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, Idris visited hospitals in Suleja where 55 injured individuals were receiving treatment and planned to inspect the accident site at Dikko Junction.
The explosion, which occurred on Saturday, January 18, 2025, claimed at least 86 lives and left 55 others injured as people attempted to scoop fuel from a fallen tanker.
Reflecting on past incidents, Idris highlighted similar tragedies in Agbor, Delta State, in January 2025, where five people were killed, and in Jigawa State in October 2024, which claimed over 170 lives.
Such explosions have become more frequent as Nigeria grapples with a worsening economic crisis.
The cost of petrol has skyrocketed over fivefold since President Tinubu’s inauguration in May 2023, making fuel a highly sought-after commodity.
Inflation remains high, hovering around 32.7 per cent as of September 2024, while the World Bank reports that 56 per cent of Nigerians now live below the poverty line, up from 40 per cent in 2018.
In September 2024, another tanker explosion in Niger State killed 59 people, underscoring the urgent need for preventive action.