Tinubu To Set Up Committee To Tackle Tanker Explosions

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A high-powered committee headed by President Bola Tinubu will be established to investigate the frequency of tanker explosions and implement safety measures to prevent the tragedies. &nbsp,

The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, made this statement on Sunday at the Palace of the Emir of Suleja, where he was reportedly speaking with the victims of the tanker explosion that occurred on Saturday in Dikko Junction, Niger State’s Gurara Local Government Area.

He stated that representatives from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, IPMAN, tanker drivers’ associations, and other parties would make up the committee’s members.

The minister added that his ministry would conduct educational campaigns on the dangers of scooping leaking fuel, road safety habits, and safe movement of fuel tankers.

Niger Tanker Explosion Deaths Rise To 86, Victims Buried In Mass Graves

Mohammed was accompanied to the state by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, and top government officials.

Additionally, the delegation made plans to travel to various Suleja hospitals, where 55 patients were rushed for immediate medical attention. The Dikko junction, which is now a grim reminder of the potential dangers fuel tankers can carry on Nigerian roads, was also on the itinerary for the delegation.

At least 86 persons died and 55 others were injured on Saturday, January 18, 2025, whilst scooping fuel from a fallen tanker.

At least five people were killed earlier in the Delta State Agbor area in January 2025 when a tanker loaded with gasoline lost control and blew up in flames.

In October 2024, a fuel tanker explosion in Jigawa State killed more than 170 people, with scores injured.

Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation, when tanker explosions occurred at a time when petrol has become a precious commodity.

Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office in May 2023, its price has increased more than fivefold. Many people are having trouble getting gas.

Inflation has been peaking at more than 30 per cent for months, reaching an almost three-decade high of over 34 per cent in June, down to 32.7 per cent in September.

More than half — 56 per cent — of Nigerians are living under the poverty line, up from 40 per cent in 2018, according to a World Bank report.