The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has announced that the Federal Government has directed the immediate transfer of victims of the recent tanker explosion from Suleja General Hospital to tertiary health facilities to ensure they receive prompt and enhanced medical care.
Idris disclosed this in Suleja, Niger State, on Sunday, when he led a high-powered Federal Government delegation, including the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, and some heads of agencies, to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and to condole with the government and people of Niger State over the recent tanker explosion at Dikko Junction in Suleja.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deeply saddened by what has happened. He asked us to come here to assess the situation. We have just gone around the wards and have seen those who are critically injured. Sadly, as we were visiting, one of them passed away. We were informed that this is the eighth victim of the fire explosion to pass away today. What we are witnessing highlights the dire need for emergency medical attention, which the Federal Government is addressing.
“The Minister of Health, the National Emergency Management Agency, and all relevant government agencies will ensure that all these victims are immediately evacuated and taken to the Intensive Care Units of the nearest available tertiary institutions,” he said.
Idris commended the Niger State Government for its swift response to the incident, particularly in providing emergency medical care.
The minister expressed concern over the loss of approximately 265 lives to tanker explosions in the past five months. He revealed that the President has constituted a committee to investigate the root and immediate causes of these incidents and to recommend effective solutions to prevent future occurrences.
“The President is deeply saddened by these tragedies and has directed the establishment of a high-powered committee to examine these incidents. Since September last year, we have recorded four major tanker explosions. The first occurred between Ibadan and Ife, where a tanker exploded, engulfing houses and cars in fire. About a day later, here in Niger State, at Agaie, approximately 48 people lost their lives on 8 September 2024.
“Subsequently, on 15 October 2024, around 144 people died in Jigawa State in a similar incident. Now, just yesterday, here at Dikko Junction, nearly 80 people lost their lives.
“Altogether, over 265 people have died in these incidents. The government is gravely concerned and, as a result, has set up a committee comprising the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and other critical stakeholders such as NEMA, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Commission, NARTO, NUPENG, IPMAN, and others to identify the root and immediate causes and propose measures to prevent a recurrence,” he said.
The minister stated that, in line with the recent presidential directive, the National Orientation Agency would intensify public awareness campaigns to educate citizens on the dangers of scooping petroleum products following fuel tanker accidents, to avert such incidents.
He condemned the practice of individuals endangering their lives by attempting to scoop fuel from accident scenes, emphasising that such actions are unacceptable to the government.
The delegation earlier paid a condolence visit to the Emir of Suleija, Alhaji Auwal Ibrahim, and also visited victims of the inferno at Suleja General Hospital, as well as the scene of the incident.
Other members of the delegation included the directors general of the Nigerian Television Authority (Abdulhamid Dembos), Voice of Nigeria (Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (Dr Mohammed Bulama).