Onitsha Fire Outbreak: Buhari Charges Ministry, FRSC On Road Safety

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, expressed sadness over the death of a mother and her child in the tanker accident at Onitsha, Anambra State.
Buhari called on the Ministry of Transport under the leadership of Chibuike Amaechi, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other stakeholders to ensure safety standards are adhered to on Nigerian roads.
It would be recalled that a truck loaded with petroleum product had exploded at Upper Iweka, Onitsha in Anambra State, last Wednesday.
The truck was said to have lost control and rammed into the wall of the popular Toronto Hospital at Upper-Iweka before exploding.
The Anambra State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Haruna Mohammed confirmed the incident.
Reacting to the incident, a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted the president as saying: “I am profoundly touched by the sight of the charred remains of an innocent mother and her child who are victims of this tragedy.
“I also extend my sympathies to other victims of the explosion whose houses, shops and other property were destroyed in the mishap.”
The President explained that “while I express sadness over this tragedy, I must at the same time call for urgent action on the part of those concerned to stem these frequent fatal disasters on public roads.”
Buhari added, “safety precautions and routine maintenance are taken for granted by vehicle owners.
“I call on the Ministry of Transport, the Federal Road Safety Commission and other stakeholders to urgently address the issue of safety standards in the country, with a view to stemming the embarrassing frequency of these tragedies”.
However, the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano says his government would probe the activities of fire-fighters in the state as it relates to Wednesday’s tanker fire incident in Onitsha.
Obiano, who spoke through his Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr Don Adinuba, said the probe would seek to know the reason for the inability of the outfit to put off the fire, last Wednesday.
The governor, who commiserated with bereaved persons and those who lost their property to the incident, also called on affected persons to come to the Government House on Monday as his government had plans to ameliorate their plight.
The statement read, “Governor Willie Obiano expresses sympathy to the families of a woman and a child burnt to death in a truck accident in Onitsha. The fire also razed structures, including shops, on Upper Iweka Road, Onitsha.