By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
Following the incessant petrol tanker explosions in Nigeria, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Ebonyi State Command has urged the federal and state governments to take a holistic approach against the ugly incident in the country.
The NSCDC State Commandant, Francis Nnadi, made the recommendation on Tuesday when members of the Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State chapter led by their Chairman, Comrade Uchenna Inya, paid him a courtesy visit in Abakaliki.
Nnadi said many souls had been wasted as a result of the petrol tanker explosions in Nigeria and maintained that it was high time the federal and state governments took a holistic approach against it to avert its further occurrence in the country.
He noted that global weather change has affected a lot of things, including the movement of inflammable products.
He called on other security agencies in the country to collaborate and end incessant gas explosions.
The Commandant said: "Two, three weeks ago if you can recall what happened in Niger State, it went viral. We lost a lot of souls, over 100.
"Somewhere in Ogun State last week, such happened again. Just before yesterday, I was away from Awka when that incident happened. I went and used the old road.
"When I came in, I raised an alert to the state government. I said I was going to talk with other security agencies; Road Safety who are our partners when it comes to the safety of our roads, the police who is in charge of internal security, NSCDC who are first respondents when it comes to disaster management, the Nigerian Army who takes care of our outer territories.
"We need to come together let us talk about the safety of our roads. These tankers moving around during the daytime are not doing as well.
"Ebonyi State government can say no tanker enters my territory in the daytime on the roads. We can do it; you can only move at night when the roads are free. Once it's 6:am, park wherever you are. The weather is changing, this global weather has affected a lot of things.
"At the slightest touch, it will ignite and only God knows the people that will be roasted. Just like the gas plant that I went to seal, over 2.8 tons. They cook beside it, you see children playing around it. Of course, you know what that could have been. PMS is inflammable, but LPGs are highly inflammable. It travels like a rocket.
"Let us stop these tankers laden with inflammable materials coming at daytime when the roads are choked. We can recommend this to the government, we can enforce it. All filing station owners and gas owners, if you have to move your products here, let it be when the roads are safe. Once it has to do with daytime, anything can happen.
"We have to stop these tanker drivers from operating in the daytime. They have an association, we call them for a meeting, tell your drivers once it is 6:am, park wherever you are. You don't notice these things happening at night, it is because there will be no contact and the weather is calm at night. So, you hardly have that kind of an accident.
"My take is, let's have a holistic approach to it. On my side, to first educate these tanker drivers. You need to educate them; otherwise, you are going to have issues confronting them."
