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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says Nigeria has lost over N2 billion to road accidents involving 283 tankers in the year 2016.
The figures were released on Saturday in Lagos by the Corps Marshal of the commission, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, at the Branch Executive Council Meeting of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers.
He said that 51 crashes were recorded from January to March, 87 from April to June, 72 from July to September, while over 59 had been recorded from October to date.
“We need to do something urgently to curb this frequent occurrence of tanker crashes because the loss affects both human life and the economy of the country.
“The union should cooperate with the FRSC to tackle the challenges of the falling tankers throughout the country.
“Drivers should stop giving motor boys tankers to drive; they should consider the huge resources involved,” Oyeyemi said.
Mr Salimon Oladiti, National Chairman, Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG, said the union was sad about the increasing rate of incidents involving petroleum trucks across the country.
Oladiti said that it was painful recording such incidence in spite of the huge resources invested in creating awareness and training members on safety on the wheel.
“The union is not happy with the avoidable loss of lives and properties that keep happening; it diminishes our value and we cannot continue to allow this avoidable wanton waste of lives and properties to continue on our highways,” he said.
The chairman said that poor road infrastructure was a major contributory factor to road accidents in the country.
Oladiti said that the union could not fold its hands and watch members dying on the road in their prime.
He promised that the union would not relent on the campaign of safety on the wheel and appealed to the Federal Government to be proactive in rehabilitating the bad roads nationwide.