The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday resolved to urge the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigerian Police and all other relevant security agencies to cooperate with Lagos state and other states in ensuring that drivers of trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles comply with traffic rules and regulations.
The Senate also urged the Police to work in conjunction with the FRSC to carry out a thorough investigation on what led to the tanker accident on Otedola Bridge, by the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Speaking on the Senate’s resolution, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, said:
“I think this is something that could have been prevented if we all abide by the traffic safety guidelines and ensure the enforcement of existing laws.
“This is a lesson that we need to learn from. Those agencies that are in charge of ensuring the safety of tanker movement across the country must ensure compliance to ensure that the tanker drivers have gotten adequate licenses and vehicles have received their adequate certificates showing that they are in good condition to ply our roads.
“Until we continue to do that, and hold those accountable, we will continue to see these kinds of accidents. These are things that are preventable and we must ensure that on our part that we see to prevent them,” the Senate President said.
The Senate further resolved to direct its relevant committees to invite the FRSC and NNPC to develop solutions to prevent such accidents, while also urging the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and State Governments to accelerate the development of trailer parks and installation of way bridges to manage the trailer movement on the roads.