Nigeria -Anxiety again pervaded the air on Saturday morning in Awka, Anambra state when a long tanker conveying petrol to one of the filling stations fell to a gutter, The Nation reports.
Residents and passersby are on the run as men of the state fire service arrived at the scene.
The incident happened about 7.am opposite Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church along Zik avenue Awka.
However, security operatives, including men of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the State fire service were on hand to forestall what happened in Onitsha few weeks ago.
One of the residents, who simply identified as Chioma, said it was the intervention of God the tanker did not catch fire.
Also, a driver who identified himself as Samuel, said the security agencies had to block the popular Zik avenue to prevent another disaster.
He said if the petrol tanker had exploded, the number of deaths would have be in thousands because the place was thickly populated.
The Police patrol teams cordoned off the Area and prevented people from further scooping fuel.
According to the State Police Public Relation’s Officer, PPRO, they had to take such proactive measure to stop the Onitsha experience.
He warned residents to follow the directive of the security operatives to avoid any ugly experience and for them to avoid scooping petrol any time such thing happened in the state.
The Command said the people would be updated with any further development .
Meanwhile, a group, Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders Foundation HURIDE, has threatened to stage a protest over alleged failure Of governance In Anambra
The group, led by Dede Uzor A Uzor, alleged that bad roads were the cause of incessant fall of trucks
The State Government had announced ban on articulated vehicles from operating in the day time in the state after the Onitsha inferno
In a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C Don Adinuba, in Awka, the government said tanker drivers would be operating between 5pm and 6.30am.
Adinuba, said Governor Willie Obiano would not rest in his oars in making the people of Anambra happy.
But HURIDE, blamed frequent the fall of articulated and heavy duty vehicles on the deplorable state of roads in the State.
In a statement on Saturday in Awka, the group said the bad roads had caused a lot of accidents, destruction of lives and property like the recent inferno at Ochanja Market, Onitsha.
Uzor, the Chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) of HURIDE and the Secretary, Barr. Noel Nwabueze Udorji, advised Governor Obiano to stop using “outdated, archaic and 12th century method including half-baked contractors” to rehabilitate roads in the State.
They said: ”He should use professionally qualified contractors and apply international best practices to repair roads in Anambra State”.
The group warned that if in the next 30 days the Government does not commence serious repair of roads in the State, it would have no other option but to mobilise members for protest.
WHEN ON WEB VIEW, SEE OUR TOP LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE BAR FOR LIVE STREAM NEWS CHANNELS (GLOBAL AND NIGERIAN)
FOLLOW US ON:
> The Forefront on Twitter
>{Instagram: the_forefront_nigeria }
Connect with Joshua Osagie (Blog owner)
Share this post now with others on social media. Use media options below.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Disclaimer!!! Opinions expressed in comments do not represent THE FOREFRONT MEDIA NG's views. All participants are entitled to their opinions. Thank you!!!
Advertise on the Forefront: For advert placement in the blog or advert posts like news updates, reach +2348124620827 [WhatsApp].
Copyright 2023 The Forefront Media Ng. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from The Forefront Media Ng