Oil dealers in the midstream and downstream sectors of the petroleum industry have suggested steps to stem the tide of fuel tanker accidents on the road.

The stakeholders, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, and others joined the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria at a webinar on Thursday to seek an end to loss of lives and property due tankers falling on the road.

Over 400 lives were said to have been lost in the past four years as residents attempted to scoop petrol from fallen tankers.

This year, over a hundred persons have died in about three tanker accidents.

The PUNCH recalls that on January 18, 2025, a tanker overturned in Dikko near Suleja, Niger State, spilling its contents. Crowds quickly gathered to scoop the fuel, leading to an explosion that killed more than 98 people.

Speaking at the Webinar, the Executive Secretary of MEMAN, Clement Using, maintained that the association has been receiving calls since the beginning of the year about the accidents.

He said the gathering was to ensure that the industry, the Nigerian public, and the government take the crashes and the explosions that have happened extremely seriously.

“It’s not the first time we have had such disasters, but at some point in time, when the country is fed up, people come together and focus on solutions that can take us forward. I did receive a reminder from the authority yesterday. We did have a meeting in November last year, and they have called for a more focused meeting next week, where the industry will again sit down and focus on some of the resolutions that have already been agreed,” Isong noted.

He stated that operators like the drivers, the operators, the transporters, and the marketers must show commitment towards ending the crisis.

“We all need to show some commitment, some discipline, because these accidents are terrible for our reputation as an industry, and they are terrible for the environment in which we operate in. The losses of these trucks simply increase the cost of doing business. So, we need to do what we must do, the operators in the industry need to be more responsible, to self-regulate.

“Some responsibilities are ours, and which we must take. Some responsibilities come from the enforcement agencies. The Federal Road Safety Corps, the police, and all other national and local enforcement agencies, all have a role to play as well,” he stressed.

Speaking about the condition of roads as one of the factors responsible for the clashes, he posited that everyone likes good roads.

However, he maintained that having a three to four-lane expressway is sometimes an invitation to an accident because the users of those roads usually speed.

“A lot has gone into road designs internationally, and we need to take a second look at what we are doing with our roads whether we’re talking about the bend, or the gradients, or the road safety features, like the road barriers in our roads, or the speed reducers on our roads.

“There are things that we need to take a second look at concerning the investments, not just in the new roads that are coming up, but also in the roads that already exist in major strong roads in the country, to encourage the drivers to slow down, to encourage the drivers to be more alert. Investments also have to be made concerning other road users.People just need to behave more responsibly. We also need to invest national reorientation,” he added.

On fuel scooping, he maintained, “I don’t know which word to use. Year after year, people burn, and people die. We need to find some solutions. We need to teach our people, ’ Please, if a truck falls, you can join to secure the area and prevent others from going close to it, but please do not scoop, do not go and scoop that product.’ We must educate the people,” he explained.

In their separate remarks, the Executive Director of Health, Safety, and Community at the NMDPRA, Mustapha Lamorde; the IPMAN President, Abubakar Maigandi; his PETROAN counterpart, Billy Gillis-Harry; and the National President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, Othman Yusuf, all committed to stopping the accidents.

They promised to do what is necessary to make sure that even if the truck rolls over, the content will not spill, requesting that operators must ensure their trucks are well covered and secured to avoid fuel spills.

They stressed the need for training and ensuring safe practices while advising drivers to avoid substance abuse and fatigue.


https://punchng.com/marketers-move-to-curb-fuel-tanker-accidents/