‘My nephew died trying to stop a petrol forklift’

Nigerian farmer Mustapha Majiya remains to be reeling from the lack of practically 50 members of his prolonged household this week after an overturned oil tanker exploded, sending flames taking pictures into the evening sky.

“My nephews Nuradeen Rabiu, 16, and Dini Babalo, 17, had been among the many victims. They had been attempting to stop folks from getting too far-off from the tanker earlier than the explosion. and scooped up gasoline,” a 50-year-old resident of Majia City instructed the BBC.

Tuesday evening’s explosion within the northern state of Jigawa has been described as one in all Nigeria’s deadliest tanker accidents lately.

It has claimed the lives of at the least 170 folks, a lot of whom had been burned past recognition. A number of of the 100 folks injured within the hearth are nonetheless being handled in hospital with life-threatening accidents.

The tanker truck, which was stuffed with gasoline, was touring on a principal unlit highway by means of the city when one other automobile approached and the motive force misplaced management.

When residents realized they might get free gasoline, folks, largely younger folks and youngsters, rushed to get buckets and different containers to gather the valuable liquid.

Petrol costs have soared in Nigeria over the previous 17 months, with the nation experiencing common gasoline shortages, resulting in a cost-of-living disaster.

Many residents of the farming neighborhood do not wish to cross up the chance to refill, ignoring warnings from folks like Mr Maggia’s nephew, who’s a fourth-year pupil on the city’s center college.

“I simply purchased them books and new uniforms for this semester,” he mentioned in disbelief.

Mr. Maigaji additionally misplaced a long-time buddy, Jamilu Maigaji, within the explosion about an hour after the tanker crashed.

The 55-year-old man, who’s married with two wives and 13 kids, was on the scene when folks went to gather the gasoline, a few of which had amassed in gutters and a few in bushes beside the freeway. .

“Some persons are simply bystanders and do not perceive the hazards,” Mr. Maggia lamented.

As a religious Muslim, Mr Maggia mentioned he accepted God’s will because the giver and taker of life.

However it’s a part of a wider sample of tanker-related explosions and accidents in Nigeria, and consultants imagine it might have been prevented with higher strategic planning and security measures.

Nigeria is a serious oil-producing nation and probably the most populous nation in Africa. Its petroleum merchandise are primarily transported by highway.

Metropolis developer Kola Ashiru-Balogun instructed the BBC that “nowhere on this planet can rely completely on roads to move items. The federal government must conduct a nationwide overhaul of freight rail.” Extra funding.

In accordance with the most recent figures from the nation’s federal highway security pressure, greater than 1,500 accidents involving tanker vans had been recorded in 2020 alone, leading to 535 deaths.

Simply final month, 59 folks had been killed when a tanker collided with a truck carrying passengers and cattle in Niger state in north-central Nigeria.

As emergency companies responded to the explosion in Maga, one other tanker capsized in Ibafo, within the southwestern state of Ogun.

The tanker leaked its contents in entrance of a business financial institution, inflicting an explosion. Though there have been no casualties, the incident brought on important harm to close by autos and property.

Following Tuesday evening’s horrific accident, the Senate requested the Nationwide Directorate, the company liable for authorities communications, to step up its efforts to make the general public conscious of the hazards of being near the accident tanker.

Vice President Kashim Shettima echoed the sentiment, saying: “As we take care of this tragedy, allow us to additionally replicate on the significance of security measures and public consciousness to stop one other incident sooner or later. Such incidents happen.

In reality, final week he attended the launch of the Nationwide Highway Security Advisory Council (Narsac), which goals to enhance coordination between governments to enhance highway security and cut back crashes.

Nevertheless, some safety consultants imagine the issue isn’t a scarcity of insurance policies however a failure to implement them.

“There isn’t a political will to behave,” Timothy Iwuagwu, president of the Nigerian Affiliation of Safety Professionals, instructed the BBC.

He attributes many tanker-related accidents to elements resembling poorly maintained roads, insufficient automobile inspections and untrained drivers.

He mentioned: “The pressure of the tanker hitting the bottom was not sufficient to trigger an explosion. These tanks had been made by unqualified folks and had been of poor high quality and that was the issue.”

He added that overloading of tankers and poor security inspections at oil depots had been additionally essential causes for the frequency of those accidents.

However the actuality is that determined folks take dangers.

Since President Bola Tinubu got here to energy in Could 2023, his authorities has eradicated gasoline and electrical energy subsidies, inflicting gasoline costs to rise by greater than 500% and power prices to soar.

On the similar time, the Nigerian foreign money, the naira, has depreciated by greater than 400% in opposition to the U.S. greenback, additional exacerbating financial difficulties.

Inflation is over 32% and an estimated 104 million Nigerians (nearly half the inhabitants) dwell in poverty

The federal government has defended the measures, insisting they’re essential to stabilize the struggling financial system.

Regardless of authorities guarantees to research the Jigawa bombing, historical past reveals prosecutions have been uncommon and victims or their households hardly ever compensated.

Reflecting the city’s shock and unhappiness, Mr Maggia mentioned: “It’s with nice remorse that those that stay in Ma’s household have skilled this incident.”

“The federal government has dedicated to serving to communities and survivors. We watch for them,” he mentioned.

Because the nation mourns with them, calls are rising for governments to guard residents from these preventable disasters.