Experts in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and other developed Countries have described the practice of rushing to scoop fuel at the scene of tanker accident by some Nigerians as not only dangerous but suicidal.
Unarguably, ignorance of the dangers associated with the practice of fuel scooping is responsible for the number of deaths recorded each time fuel tanker accident occurs in any part of the country.
A recent fuel tanker explosion in Suleja, Niger State reignited concerns over the recurring tragedies caused by fuel scooping in Nigeria with over ninety-eight lives lost.
On October seventeenth, 2024, fuel tanker overturned and exploded in Jigawa state, Northern Nigeria, killing at least one hundred and fifty -three persons who had rushed to the scene of the accident to collect petrol and about one hundred people were injured by the explosion.
Similar fuel tanker mishap occurred in Enugu State, at Ugwu Onyama and report had it that about one hundred lives were lost and many people were injured as well as livestock, fruits and other numerous valuables were destroyed.
Similar scenerio had also happened in Anambra State at Army Barracks Onitsha, Zik’s Round About Onitsha, and the popular Upper-Iweka axis where people were seen rushing to the scene of the accident with their gallons and buckets to scoop fuel at the risk of their lives.
The incessant falling of tankers on Nigerian roads which had claimed so many lives of innocent people is often blamed on various factors including hunger, poverty, over speeding, reckless driving, bad roads and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs .
Also, multiple check-points by security operatives on roads and plying the roads in day times by the tanker drivers equally contribute to incessant tanker accidents.
These disasters highlight the deadly risk of poverty-driven desperation and systemic failure in Nigeria as the giant of Africa.
Approaching a spilt fuel tanker with metal container is not only dangerous, but can be fatal. Fuel vapors and leaks from the tanker can ignite at any moment leading to explosions that can cause severe injuries or even loss of lives.
There are also inherent dangers associated with it including chronic health hazards, environmental damage, severe burns and injuries and above all untimely deaths.
The officers and men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other traffic officials should strictly enforce the ban on driving under the influence of intoxicants, while speed limit for tanker drivers should equally be enforced.
Moreso, the fuel scoopers at the scene of tanker accident should face the full wrath of the law while government should put in place stronger legal framework to discourage the menace.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other government information management organizations in the country should intensify re-orientation of the general public on the inherent dangers of scooping fuel at the scene of tanker mishap.
ANTHONY OBIORA
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