Minister of works, Engr Nweze David Umahi, has sympathised with the family of Rivers tanker inferno and absolved Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Nigeria Ltd of any negligence.
He blamed the incident on the recklessness of the drivers and called for enhanced enforcement of driving rules and road safety checks, especially as regards drivers of heavy-duty vehicles.
Umahi said, “The RCC, they are trying, they are doing well. But my visit is going to ensure that they open the construction in a number of sections. That is what they must have to do. But the quality of what they are doing is quite commendable. But they must listen to us and open the construction. Whether they are delaying or not has nothing to do with the accident.”
The minister in a statement by the special adviser on media Barr Orji Uchenna Orji said contrary to insinuations, the construction work in the area was recording progressive and quality outcomes.
He said it was the recklessness of the two drivers that caused the avoidable disaster.
He said, “My sympathy goes to all the families of the victims of the inferno for the unfortunate and irrecoverable loss of their loved ones. And then, to the government and people of Rivers State, I extend my sympathy to them. When somebody is dead, we are no longer talking about who is responsible.”
The minister condemned the statement credited to the president-general of Ogoni Youth Foundation, Dr Legborsi Yamaabana, that the federal government and RCC should be held responsible for the unfortunate incident.
Yamaabana blamed the ongoing road rehabilitation as the cause of the inferno and even threatened to drag them to the International Criminal Court for negligence.
But Umahi described the statement as a misrepresentation of facts “as confirmed reports and eye witnesses’ accounts showed that it was a case of drivers’ recklessness and impatience that caused the sad incident”.
He recalled that “Mr. President, when he came on board, he saw how terrible this road was. And he directed that work should be started.
Not as usual, but that the road should be redesigned. Apart from Benin to Warri and a part of Lokoja to Benin, there’s no other section of the road in this country that this kind of construction is going on.
“The ongoing 15-kilometre dualised road with six lanes is about the heaviest traffic road in the country. And so, because the soil is bad, we are digging about one meter. We are filling with lumps about half a meter. We are filling with about half a meter of sharp sand. We are filling with a stone base, eight inches.
We are putting four inches, another stone base mixed with five percent cement. And then we are now putting eight inches of reinforced concrete pavement. The idea of Mr. President is that this should last for a minimum of 100 years, considering the load that it’s carrying.”
In her earlier brief, the acting federal controller of works in Rivers State, Engr. Enwereama Tarilade said it was a case of collision between a tanker truck carrying petroleum products with a trailer driver who were competing for a right of way on a heavy traffic along a section of the reconstruction of the dualized 15km section of the East-West road section III: (Eleme Junction- Onne Port in Rivers State being handled by Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Ltd and that the incident occurred at about 8pm on Friday, 26th April 2024.
She expressed her condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident.
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