Public health physicians have asked the federal and state governments to enforce stricter regulations to avert needless deaths from tanker explosions which have killed no fewer than 366 people in the past five months.
While lamenting that the current regulations were inadequate to prevent such accidents, the physicians called for immediate reforms to reduce the risks associated with tanker operations.
According to them, the most common causes of tanker explosions in Nigeria are accidents involving petrol tankers, often caused by bad driving, poor vehicle maintenance, and bad roads.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise, the physicians suggested that transporting dangerous and highly inflammable substances by road using tankers should be reconsidered in favour of safer alternatives such as rail or pipeline transport, which were seen as less prone to accidents.
The call for stricter regulations in tanker operations had intensified following a recent tragedy in which the death toll from a petrol tanker explosion at Dikko Junction near Suleja in Niger State has risen to 98 as of Monday evening.
It was reported that a speeding fuel tanker crashed on Saturday morning in Dikko Junction between Niger and Kaduna states. The tanker, in the process of scooping fuel that spilled on the tarred road, exploded with a heavy flame that killed all the residents trying to scoop fuel as well as others who attempted to rescue them.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, in a statement on Sunday, said the agency, as well as the Gurara Local Government Area authorities and kind-hearted volunteers, conducted the mass burial between 5 pm and 12 am.
The recent tanker explosion in Niger State is not the only incident in recent months. Two other reported explosions in September and October 2024 had already claimed 268 lives, bringing the total death toll from tanker accidents to 366 in just five months.
On October 16, 2024, a petrol tanker explosion in Majiya town, in Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State led to the death of 209 residents.The incident reportedly occurred at about 11:30 pm on a Tuesday in Majia Town, when the tanker driver lost control near Khadija University.
It was gathered that after the incident some people went there to scoop the product which led to the death of many persons.Also, another tanker explosion happened in Niger in September 2024 after a petrol tanker had a head-on collision with another articulated vehicle.
It was reported that the incident happened along Lapai-Agaie, 2km from Dendo Community in Agaie LGA, Niger State when the petrol tanker was involved in a head-on collision with another trailer transporting over 60 people and 50 cows from Kano to Lagos.
Following the collision, the tanker exploded and about 59 people reportedly died in the explosion.
Reacting to these explosions, public health experts stressed that a multifaceted approach which includes, incorporating stricter regulations, alternative transportation methods, enhanced safety features, and better training could be the key to preventing future disasters.
They suggested stricter checks on the maintenance of tankers, including regular inspections and mandatory updates to older vehicles, could play a major role in preventing accidents.
The physicians recommended mandatory upgrades to safety equipment, including explosion-proof valves, stronger tank structures, and automatic fire suppression systems, to mitigate the risks posed by transporting volatile substances.