CILT Meeting Advocates Stricter Policies to Prevent Tanker Explosions
... Nigeria Highways Now Deadly Due to the Menace- Okodudu
By Elizabeth Toyon & Maria Yusuf
Mrs. Ezinne Eunice Okodudu , a fellow of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and a lecturer in the Center for Logistics and Transport, University of Port Harcourt , has said the Federal Government needs to enforce stricter policies to curb the recurring tanker explosion incident in the nation.
Okodudu who said this during an online meeting organised by the Lagos Branch of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CLIT) to discuss ways of dealing with the problem said our highways have become deadly due to frequent tanker accidents, and the crisis of these tanker accidents have led to explosions, fires, environmental contamination and loss of lives.
While speaking on the topic ” Recurrent Tanker Explosions: CILT Nigeria Perspectives and Options”, Okodudu noted that even when the laid down regulations are being followed, the statistical overview shows that hundreds of tanker accidents are recorded annually. She said in developed nations like the US, UK, and Canada, they have strict laws and agencies, advanced road infrastructure and emergency response, mandatory vehicle inspection and driver certification, likewise some African countries like South Africa and Kenya that have better enforcement, specialized tanker driving training and lower accident rates.
According to her, the causes of tanker explosions include: tanker accidents which result from infrastructure delays, human errors, weak regulations, corporate negligence, poor road infrastructure where we have dilapidated highways and lack of safety measures.She added that key roads, like Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Lokoja, Benin-Ore, and East-West roads are major locations where these incidents happen.
In addition, she pointed that there are no designated rest stops , drivers do not undergo specialised training , tankers in poor conditions are driven and there is the issue of overloading.
To solve this problem, Okodudu said there is need for urgent reforms, mandatory insurance by the companies concerned, staff law enforcement, penalties for safety violations, mandatory driver certification, and regular vehicle inspection, infrastructure improvement and corruption-free regulatory oversight.
The logistics and transport expert called on transport authorities in road safety regulations like the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigerian Highway Authority, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to carry out their duties diligently.
Furthermore, she said Nigeria can implement a national Global Positioning System (GPS) for enforcement while collaboration between government, private sector and civil society is very crucial and important. She emphasised that there will be need for advocacy campaigns to be able to push for these laws to be obeyed adding that public education programs on road safety awareness is needed to engage pipelines and rail transport service to complement the service .
“The roads are not just good at all. They are so bad that you are even afraid to put your car on it. Not to talk of a trailer, a tanker that is carrying fuel or gas.Most times, the drivers keep driving and keep moving, which is forcing them to have hazardous roadside parking, and it’s not good at all, especially in a country where our security is quite low. Thank God we are still trying to do some justice to it.
“We have drivers-related issues, like lack of specialised training for handling hazardous materials. Most times, for lack of developed roads, the tankers that carry gas and fuel don’t normally move in daytime. They normally move in the night.
“But here, they move any time of the day, even when it is raining heavily, they are moving. We also have reckless driving, over speeding, dangerous overtaking, which I have seen a lot on the road, especially when I’m traveling, and then tampering with safety devices.
“Most of them don’t even have safety devices in their vehicles. You see a trailer parked on the road, they will just put lifts at the front and at the back. How many people will see the lifts at the front or at the back, especially when it is raining? And we see that causing a lot of accidents.
“Poor vehicle condition is also a problem .Many tankers are outdated, poorly maintained, and prone to brake failures and tyre blowouts. This one, a lot of times, is always happening.
You see a tanker moving on the road, and the tanker is one-sided. And you are moving by sight. You are even scared that as you are moving, the tanker can fall.
“That’s why you see a lot of times on the road, tankers are falling because they are already outdated. The tankers are meant to be parked. FRSC and other authorities are not allowed such trailers to put on the road.Then you see drivers fatigued due to long hours and lack of work-free time. Because there are no bus stops for trailers to stop and rest.
“There are meant to be bus stops for trailers to stop and take a rest, because they are human beings, and they are prone to sleep at some time when they are tired. Some tankers are overloaded. Overloading increases instability and accident risk. And then we have inadequate vehicle inspections, which allows roadworthiness for tankers on highways. Nobody checks the trailer. Some companies just put a young boy or a young man in the trailer to start driving.This is as a result of regulatory and policy failures.
“There is the issue of bribery, which undermines licensing and compliance checking.Transport companies prioritise profit over safety. Most companies that use tankers don’t check them. They don’t check if they are they okay. They don’t check tyres.The tanker just delivers each consignment and is not allowed to rest. We find that 90% of the drivers don’t go for driving training. Driver training is very important.
“There is no mandatory insurance, even accident victims, have compensation. We have existing policies and regulations, like the FRSC Act, the National Road Traffic Regulations, which was made in 2012, which governs road safety. I don’t know why they are not being used. We have the Highway Code, which mandates speed limits, rest periods, and restricted tanker routes. There is need for control of movement.
“There are regulations which impose travel restrictions. I don’t think they are being used. We have very weak enforcement, which leads to widespread violations and causes this recurrence of accidents.
“Nigeria can implement a national GPS system for enforcement. It is used for tracking areas that are violent.An AI-powered camera and sensor detector will help us to check brake malfunctions and worn out tyres. VIS can operate through automated testing instead of stopping vehicles on the road all the time and collecting money from individuals who are driving or going somewhere.
Mrs. Usoro Mfon Ekong, the CILT National President, commented that the meeting is part of CLIT’s continuous education programme, where skills are developed and matters that are related to logistics, transport, and supply chain generally are discussed .She said the topic discussed is most relevant and topical at the moment.
“In CILT, we bring up these issues to discuss and also entertain robust discussion after the presentation. The purpose is for us to interrogate issues.
“Through the interrogation, we identify a couple of policy initiatives, which as the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport could advise the relevant ministries and departments for them to take into consideration for implementation. I thank very much the premier branch, the Lagos branch, for kick-starting 2025 series of our continuous development program.”, Mrs. Ekong said .
