The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has sensitised tanker drivers and filling station attendants to the prevention of tanker fire outbreaks.

The agency also cautioned tanker drivers against speeding on roads in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states.

The director-general of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, gave the advice on Friday in Enugu during a one-day awareness campaign and sensitisation to tanker fire accidents and fire outbreaks.

Represented by the NEMA head of operations in Enugu, Ngozi Echeazu, the director-general urged Nigerians to stop scooping fuel in a fallen petroleum tanker and “steer clear from such a scene to ensure safety”.

She urged tanker drivers to avoid alcohol and intoxicating substances and to ensure that their brakes and lighting systems were working optimally.

The director-general also condoled with families and friends of victims of tanker fire explosion within the South-East, especially that of the Ugwuonyema axis of the Enugu-Onitsha dual carriageway early this year.

Also speaking, Chinedu Anyaso, the chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Enugu Depot Unit, said fuel tanker accidents and fire outbreaks could be contained if drivers’ unions work together and deploy regular training and retraining of members.

Mr Anyaso, represented by the secretary of the association, Nnaemeka Iloafor, commended NEMA for taking up sensitisation to tanker accidents, adding that IPMAN would continue to support the agency’s efforts to reduce disasters on the road.

“IPMAN is an association with the principle of safety first, and in all our weekly meetings and fora, we impress it on our members and drivers managing their tanker fleets never to compromise on safety standards,” the chairman said.

Corroborating, Boniface Okafor, the first deputy chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Enugu zonal unit, appreciated NEMA for the sensitisation, calling on the federal and state governments to address the deplorable roads that remain a contributory factor to tanker accidents.

The sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Enugu State, Franklin Agbakoba, noted that 90 per cent of accidents on the road were caused by human error or human negligence, urging tanker drivers to “stop managing mechanical faults in their vehicles”.

Mr Agbakoba, represented by chief route commander Okine Ugwube, urged tanker drivers not to joke with the routine check of their vehicles.

The deputy controller of the Enugu State Fire Service, Godwin Ezeora, urged tanker drivers to always have functional fire extinguishers.

(NAN)