The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Commandant, Ebonyi State, Mr Francis Nnadi, has called on both the Federal and State Governments, to ban the movement of inflammable products in the daytime by petrol tankers to end the incessant explosion.
Nnadi made this assertion at the Corp Headquarters, Abakaliki on Tuesday when members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) paid him a courtesy visit
He said that many souls have been wasted in the country as a result of the petrol tanker explosion, noting that it was high time the government took a holistic approach to stem the tide.
The Commandant noted that global weather change has affected a lot of things including the movement of inflammable products.
Nnadi advocated for synergy and collaboration among security agencies in the country to end incessant gas explosions.
He said “Three weeks ago if you can recall what happened in Niger State, it went viral, and we lost a lot of souls, over 100”
“Somewhere in Ogun State last week, such happened again, last Sunday I was away from Awka when that incident happened, I went and used the old road”
“When I came in, I raised an alarm to the state government, I said I am 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 are 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”
The State NSCDC boss reiterated the need for security agencies to come together and chart a way forward for the safety of our roads.
“Ebonyi State Government can say no tanker enters my territory in the day time on the roads, you can only move at night when the roads are free, once it’s 6:am, park wherever you are”
“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 is highly inflammable”
“Let us stop these tankers laden with inflammable materials coming at daytime when the roads are choked, we can actually enforce it”
All filing station owners, gas owners if you have to move in your products here, let it be when the roads are safe, once it has to do with daytime anything can happen.
“My take is, let’s have a holistic approach on it, first educate these tanker drivers, you need to educate them otherwise you are going to have issues confronting them”
Earlier in a remark, the Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists Mr Uchenna Inya, said that the essence of the visit was to seek areas of partnership that will enhance the peace and security of the State.
