‘Most Petrol Tankers Overaged, Not Fit For Roads’

The former Corp Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, has said, a larger percentage of trucks ferrying petroleum products in the country are not fit for Nigerian roads, hence, were responsible for recurring tanker explosions in the country.

Speaking at a one-day seminar titled, ‘Recurrent Tanker Explosions: CILT Nigeria Perspectives and Options,’ organised by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Oyeyemi stated that, most tankers are over 30 years old and move over 99,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in one trip.

Oyeyemi, however, identified the reintroduction of weighbridges on the roads to check axle load violations, the political will to implement recommendations and the movement of fuel by rail and pipelines as short-term solutions to the crashes. He said, with the ages of the trucks, they are moving litres far above their capacity daily, thereby, leading to crashes.

The former FRSC boss also noted that most tankers and truckers weren’t properly trained as they graduated from motor boys into drivers, having watched their predecessors for years.

“Trucks moving this product are over 30 years of age and are not fit for Nigerian roads. A 30-year-old truck lifting 99,000 capacity. What we need is the political will to implement past recommendations of tanker crashes and explosions.

“Also, now that the rail is working, the government sees the movement of petroleum products by rail as well as pipelines. Also, the government should implement a 6pm ban on truck and tanker movement,” he stressed.

He continued that, “Most truck owners cannot afford to buy brand new trucks and mostly, no training is required to be a certified driver except graduating from motorboy. Also, we must implement the 25-year-old entry level for driving trucks. Government must reintroduce weighbridges to check axle load violations by truck drivers and owners.”

Oyeyemi, however, expressed optimism that the judicious use of pipelines would help reduce the number of tankers travelling long distances with petroleum products across the country.

Speaking earlier, the guest lecturer, fellow of the Institute and lecturer at the Centre for Logistics and Transport, University of Port Harcourt, Dr Ezinneka Eunice Okodudu said, the highways have become deadly due to frequent tanker accidents and the crisis of the tanker accidents have led to explosions, fire, environmental contamination and loss of lives.

According to the resource person, stricter policies, effective enforcement of government regulations, urgent reforms, mandatory inspection of trucks, driver certification, and prompt emergency response, among others, would help to calm the menace on the highways.

She maintained that all the above are obtainable in countries like the UK, the US, Canada and some African countries like South Africa and Kenya.

Reeling out the causes of tanker accidents, Dr Okodudu said, infrastructural decay, human errors, weak regulations, corporate negligence, poor road infrastructure, lack of safety measures.

She added that lack of specialised training for drivers, dilapidated trucks, licensing of bad trucks by government agencies, and overloading are parts of the issues leading to tanker accidents.

To solve this problem, Okodudu said, there was a need for urgent reforms, mandatory insurance by the companies concerned, staff law enforcement, penalties for safety violations, mandatory driver certification, regular vehicle inspection, infrastructure improvement and corruption-free regulatory oversight.

In her welcome remarks, the president of CILT Nigeria, Mfon Usoro bemoaned the frequency of accidents and explosions leading to the loss of lives and properties across the country.

Usoro assured that the Institute would continue to engage the operators and develop a strategic document that would be disseminated to relevant authorities to curb the menace.

Earlier, the chairman of CILT Lagos Branch, Dr. Bashir Ambi appreciated the president of CILT Nigeria, Usoro, for her sterling leadership and her commitment to honour the invitation for the webinar.