Reps move to prevent tragedy as Tanker chaos endangers lives in Niger

The House of Representatives has taken urgent action to address the indiscriminate parking of petroleum tankers and articulated vehicles in Bida, Niger State, amid growing concerns over safety hazards and the risk of further fatalities.

This decision followed the adoption of a motion raised under matters of urgent public importance by the member representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency, Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi, during plenary on Wednesday.

Presenting the motion, Abdullahi revealed that residents and youth groups in Bida had formally expressed their concerns to the Speaker of the House regarding the reckless parking of fuel tankers along major roads. He stressed that the situation posed serious environmental and safety threats, endangering lives and properties.

Citing a recent tragic tanker explosion at Diko Junction in Niger State, which resulted in multiple fatalities and widespread destruction, Abdullahi underscored the urgent need for strict regulatory enforcement to avert similar disasters.

He further noted that various local associations, including Nupe Excel, Landzun Youth Development Association, Bida 70s, and Eid Youth Association Bida, had raised the alarm over the growing dangers posed by these parked tankers. These include an increase in road accidents, environmental risks from flammable substances, severe traffic congestion, and escalating security concerns.

In response to these threats, the Niger State Government had embarked on constructing a 44-kilometre dual-carriage ring road with complementary infrastructure, including a trailer transit park, to provide a long-term solution. However, the lawmaker acknowledged that despite these efforts, the persistent insecurity along the Mokwa-Makera-Tegina-Birnin Gwari–Kaduna route had forced heavy traffic onto the already congested Bida-Agaie-Lapai-Lambata-Suleja corridor.

As the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Abdullahi expressed deep concern over the slow pace of reconstruction on the Bida-Suleja road, despite the availability of alternative funding through the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme. He attributed the ongoing delay to the continued indiscriminate parking of tankers, exacerbating traffic congestion and increasing the risk of fatal accidents.

“The dire consequences of this hazardous situation were recently highlighted in Bida, where a tanker crushed a nursing mother to death while her husband lost his legs in the incident,” Abdullahi stated.

He warned that failure to act decisively would continue to put lives and properties at risk, given the volatile nature of petroleum products and the high volume of vehicular and pedestrian movement along the affected routes.

“The unchecked presence of these tankers without proper regulatory enforcement is not only a danger to public safety but also hampers economic activities and threatens public order in Bida,” he concluded.