A tanker-ladened with petrol, two articulated trucks, one 18-seater bus, two commercial cabs and three motorcycles were recently burnt in Iyana-Ajia area of the Ibadan-Ife road in Ibadan, Oyo State, even as Agaie in Niger State was the epicentre of another tragic episode where over 48 persons and 50 cattle on transit to Lagos were burnt without recognition on Sunday.
Judging from available account of the driver of the Ibadan accident , the truck lost control very close to the Iyana -Ajia bridge.
Despite efforts by the tanker driver to control the situation, the truck fell while its content spilt on the highway and fire emanating from the tanker caught up with the 18-seater bus, two commercial cabs and the three motorcycles.
Although there are no reports of death in the Ibadan incident, sadly, the incident is just one in the several other fuel tanker accidents that have dotted the ever busy Ibadan-Lagos in several decades.
We are worried that several persons have lost their lives to fuel tanker infernos which appeared to be unmitigated across the country.
Hours apart, the Agaie accident happened as a fuel tanker lost its brakes and collided with an oncoming articulated vehicle ferrying cattle from the North to the Southern part of the country.
Many people were confirmed killed along Lapai- Agaie road in Niger State.
Niger State Emergency Management Agency ,NSEMA, which confirmed the incident in a statement said the truck was carrying some people and cattle from Wudil in Kano State to Lagos.
The statement said two other vehicles, a crane and a pick-up, van were also burnt in the accident.
According to NSEMA, men of its rapid response team were dispatched to the scene to “conduct search and rescue operation”
The statement said the corpses recovered had been given mass burial in Agaie town.
We commiserate with the families of those who were caught in these tragic moments and urge the authorities to intensify road safety campaigns with a view to addressing carnage on roads in the country.
Besides, we advocate safety measures and recourse to traffic rules. This is why the Vehicle Inspection Officers and Federal Road Safety Commission must step up their game by ensuring safety on our roads
Indeed, we believe if drivers adhere to speed limits at particular points, there would be some form of mitigated catastrophe in the event of a mishap.
However, AljazirahNigeria shares the views of members of the society that many truck drivers are often under some form of influence-including alcohol and substances likely to impair their judgement on the wheels. We therefore call on the relevant agencies to reverse the trend. It was the norm in time past and we think we can revisit it for a safer road across the country.
