The Senate has called on the Nigeria Police and the Federal Road Safety Corps to investigate the circumstances surrounding the explosion of a tanker laden with premium motor spirit (petrol) in Lagos last Thursday.
The Senate also plans to meet with the FRSC and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to seek amendment of extant laws needed to check accidents involving articulated vehicles.
This was based on a motion at the plenary on Wednesday by Senator Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos-East), in conjunction with senators Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos-Central) and Solomon Adeola (Lagos-West).
A tanker carrying 33,000 litres of petrol had crashed, emptied its content and exploded on the Otedola Bridge end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway last Thursday, with 12 confirmed deaths and 54 vehicles burnt.
Granting prayers of the motion, the lawmakers resolved to “urge the FRSC, the Nigeria Police and all relevant security agencies to cooperate with Lagos State and other states in ensuring that drivers of articulated vehicles comply with all federal and state traffic safety laws.
“We urge the Nigeria Police to work in conjunction with the FRSC to carry out a thorough investigation of the circumstances leading to the accident that led to the fuel tanker fire, with the view to prosecuting anyone found culpable in this preventable fire incident.
“The relevant committees of the Senate should invite the FRSC and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation with a view to finding a legislative solution towards ensuring that, before trucks are loaded, mandatory safety checks are put in place to ascertain the condition of the tankers and the roadworthiness of the vehicles.”
