Nigeria to review gasoline transport safety protocols after deadly blast

Abuja, Nigeria — 

Authorities successful Nigeria person announced plans to reappraisal information protocols for the proscription of gasoline aft a deadly tanker mishap and detonation successful Jigawa authorities killed much than 140 radical Wednesday.

President Bola Tinubu said the reappraisal volition beryllium "swift and comprehensive,” but immoderate observers are skeptical that information standards volition improve.

The tanker crashed successful the colony of Majiya and a abbreviated clip aboriginal burst into flames, sidesplitting and injuring galore who had gathered astir the wreckage to scoop up spilled fuel.

Tinubu said a reappraisal of transport protocols for gasoline volition beryllium carried retired successful concern with assorted authorities authorities and that offenders of the caller regulations volition beryllium punished.

It is not wide what the caller regulations volition be.

The president besides sent apical authorities officials including his defence and proscription ministers, on with nutrient assistance and aesculapian supplies, to the tract of Wednesday’s crash.

Economic expert Eze Onyekpere said helium doesn’t expect immoderate caller measures from authorities.

"It is simply a precise unfortunate concern and presumption due to the fact that the enactment of the state has not been proactive astir readying for transporting of whether it's crude lipid oregon refined petroleum,” Onyekpere said. “The authorities is not known to deliberation done issues, they conscionable latch connected erstwhile there's a nationalist outburst.”

The mishap successful Jigawa comes hardly 1 period aft different tanker exploded aft it collided with a motortruck successful Niger state, sidesplitting 48 people.

Tinubu has ordered the Federal Road Safety Corps, oregon FRSC, to fortify enforcement of already existing roadworthy transport protocols, including regulations connected nighttime travels and authoritative patrols.

Energy adept Chukudi Victor Odoeme said the caller measures are welcome, but is skeptical astir compliance.

"The national authorities reasoning astatine this constituent that it's the clip to enactment policies successful spot is simply a bully one, but the lone snag I spot successful this is compliance,” helium said. “It has to bash with enforcement, it's not really astir the laws. Load limits person ever been there, but it has ne'er been enforced. They person to bash a batch of enforcement, I don't deliberation it's successful creating caller policies."

Nigeria’s 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) of lipid pipelines are often prone to vandalism, and petrol suppliers mostly trust connected tankers to transport substance astir the country. But owed to poorly maintained roads and disregard for existing roadworthy measures, tanker accidents are common.

Onyekpere said the authorities needs to repair and support the pipelines.

"If those pipelines were secured and maintained, that would person been the cheapest and easiest mode of transporting these things successful specified a mode that would not exposure Nigerians to a batch of risk," Onyekpere said.

In 2020, much than 500 radical died from astir 1,500 tanker accidents, according to the FRSC.