The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has called on government agencies, transport unions and community leaders to take proactive steps in enforcing safety regulations as a way of preventing incessant tanker accidents and fires .
The Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Uyo Operations Office, Mrs Mmandu Aisueri, stated this at a public awareness program on Tanker Accidents and Fires in Nigeria organised by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Uyo Operations Office held at the the Itam Motor Park, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Mrs Aisueri also urged Road users to always exercise caution and report unsafe tankers and articulated vehicle operations to relevant government agencies.
She further appealed to Nigerians, especially those residing in communities along major highways, against scooping petroleum products from fallen fuel tankers to avoid disasters.
The Head of Operations, NEMA, Uyo Operations Office, Mrs. Aisueri, said tanker accidents and fires have become a recurring tragedy in Nigeria, leading to loss of lives, properties, livelihoods and environmental damage.
The NEMA Head of Operations in the state said the public awareness program was a vital step towards reducing the devastating impact of tanker-related and articulated vehicle disasters in Nigeria.
Mrs Aisueri, who said there were no reported fatalities in Akwa Ibom State in recent times, however regretted that tanker accidents and fires have become a recurring tragedy in Nigeria, leading to loss of lives, properties, livelihoods and environmental damage in many parts of the country.
According to her, “For instance, on September 9, 2024, a fuel tanker collided with a truck carrying passengers in Niger State, resulting in an explosion that killed at least 59 people. On October 16, 2024, a petrol tanker exploded in Majiya town, Jigawa State, killing over 100 people who were trying to scoop up fuel from the overturned tanker.”
“In Agbor, Delta State, five people were killed on 5 January 2025 when a tanker exploded after losing control. On 18th January 2025, a fuel tanker carrying roughly 60,000 liters of petrol overturned at the Dikko junction near Suleja, Niger State, and there was an explosion as local residents gathered to collect spilled fuel. Another tanker fire explosion also occurred on 25th January 2025 at Ugwu Onyeama expressway, Enugu State. In June 2025, a petrol-laden tanker exploded opposite the NASFAT junction along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Closer home, we have had the incident at Itam in December 2024 as well as the one in March 2025 along Ikot Ekan junction in Abak leading to Etim Ekpo.”
Mrs Aisueri said such disasters are mostly preventable and identified poor vehicle maintenance, reckless driving, overloading, road infrastructure challenges and lack of public awareness on emergency response as some of the causes of tanker fire disasters.
The State Chairman of Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union, Comrade Joseph Otu, said the Union has banned tanker drivers from night operations while precautionary and safety measures have also been put in place to prevent leakages even when tankers fall.
“Any where tanker falls, please don’t go near that place for your safety. I also beg the federal government to repair the Calabar-Itu Highway, that Road is not good for our tankers”
The event, which was attended by drivers and other motorists, featured series of lectures by representatives of the State and Federal Fire Services, the Federal Road Safety Commission, the Red Cross and State Emergency Centre as well as a demonstration on effective fire fighting in case of fire incidents.
