Obiano Wants Fire-Fighting Trucks, Equipment On Highways

Governor Willie
Obiano of Anambra State has called on the Federal Government to provide fire-fighting trucks and equipment to help avert deaths resulting from oil tanker accidents on the highways.
Obiano made the call in Awka last Sunday when he met with the Director of Relief, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),Mr Udemezue Eze.
He said that adequate provision of fire-fighting equipment would avert future occurrence of such casualties on the roads.
Commenting on the reports on the number of deaths caused by the recent petrol tanker accident, the governor said that the figures quoted were incorrect.
“I was there. I came immediately the incident happened, the number was below 25, of both the dead and the injured.
“I wonder how the number of 69 came about,’’ Obiano said.
According to him, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) will identify areas of cooperation with the Federal Government to help the victims who were already receiving treatment in some hospitals in Onitsha.
Earlier, the director said that the agency officials were in the state to assist the hospitals already treating the victims.
Eze said that the agency had donated medical items to the hospitals for the treatment of the victims, but failed to make public the amount involved.
It would be recalled that on May 31, an oil tanker lost control and ran into the Asaba Motor Park at Upper Iwekas Onitsha and exploded.