NEMA, NASEMA Launch Drive to Curb Tanker Fire Explosions

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in partnership with the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA), inaugurated a sensitisation drive on Wednesday to reduce tanker fire explosions. The event took place at the Tanker Park in Nassarawa-Eggon Local Government Area.

Babatunde Razak-Adebiyi, North-Central NEMA Coordinator overseeing Plateau, Nasarawa, and Benue States, explained that the initiative aims to “curtail tanker fire” by fostering collaboration among NEMA, NASEMA, the Federal Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and tanker drivers.

“Fire incidences are highly risky emergencies that pose serious threat to lives, property, the environment, and infrastructures,” Razak-Adebiyi said. He attributed tanker fires to road traffic crashes, equipment failure, and human error, noting that “addressing the situation requires collective and coordinated efforts of all stakeholders.”

Razak-Adebiyi urged tanker drivers to “imbibe the lessons learnt from the firefighting agency to avoid the loss of lives and the escalation of fire whenever it happens.”

Ben Akwash, Director-General of NASEMA, emphasized that sensitisation is part of proactive measures by both the state and federal governments to tackle the rising number of tanker fires. “We have witnessed incidents of fire disasters involving tankers that were not properly managed and led to the loss of lives and property in many states,” Akwash said. He advised the public to “always run for their lives whenever a tanker loaded with petroleum products falls” and urged drivers to exercise caution on the roads.

Akwash added that NASEMA plans to replicate the sensitisation across all 13 local government areas to reach more tanker operators.

Nwachuku Eno-Kelechi, Controller of the Federal Fire Service in Nasarawa State, told drivers to “run for their lives in the event of a fire disaster before looking for ways to quench the fire.” She recommended that drivers “always use quality fire extinguishers effective in handling fire outbreaks,” “disengage the battery of a petrol-laden tanker that fell,” and “call the fire service for prompt response to de-escalate the fire.”

Eno-Kelechi also demonstrated how to extinguish fires safely and stressed that drivers should “refill their fire extinguishers regularly, maintain electrical wires and ensure to always have the seat-belt-cutter close to them.”

Domain Ezeanya, Head of Operation for FRSC in Nassarawa-Eggon, urged tanker drivers to conduct “regular maintenance of their trucks, engage in regular training, road assessment, emergency preparedness and others.” He cautioned drivers against “speeding and overtaking at sharp corners in order to avert loss of lives and property on the road.”