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•Reps mourn, coalition blames accident on bad road
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja and Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
An epidemic is looming in Koko community, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, as bodies float in water at the scene of the Sunday, October 1, fuel tanker explosion along the Benin-Sapele road.
Daily Sun reports that two bodies have been pulled out of the swamp while another has been identified. One of the sympathisers, who preferred anonymity, said some bodies were recovered from the swamp the previous day while others were yet to come up.
The source said when the fire broke out, several persons made attempt to escape through the swamp without knowing its depth and were trapped. He said some others have been buried by the road side close to the scene of incident by their relatives.
The House of Representatives, yesterday, observed a minute silence in honour of victims of the tanker explosion and called on the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to fix the dilapidated portion of the road. It also charged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to provide relief materials to others affected by the incident and offset the medical bills of the injured.
This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Thomas Ereyitomi, who intimated the House of the incident and the deplorable state of the Warri-Benin Highway.
In his lead debate, he stated that no fewer than 20 persons, including women and children died when a tanker carrying fuel fell and exploded. He added that about 16 vehicles and three motor cycles were destroyed in the explosion while several persons sustained different degrees of injury.
The lawmaker, while decrying the deplorable state of the highway, stated that because of the state of the road, a journey, which ordinarily should take 45 minutes, now stretch into several hours. Ereyitomi lamented that since the tanker explosion, plight of the people have worsened.
“The Warri-Benin highway is plagued by significant number of accidents each year, often involving tankers and other heavy duty vehicles which toppled over as drivers maneuvre failed portions of the road.
“With the accident, commuters and motorists will become more exposed to attacks by hoodlums/miscreants who take advantage of such situations to wreck havoc.
“The failed portions of this road has become a death trap for users of the road with little or no remedial efforts from any quarter over a period of time to pose this kind of danger.”
Decrying the incident, Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Rev. David Ugolor, who paid an on-the-spot assessment visit to the scene of the fire disaster, said such a colossal loss could have been averted if the federal government had fixed the road.
“We stand here today with heavy hearts, burdened by the weight of yet another tragedy that could have been averted.
“As you are already aware, many commuters plying the Benin-Sapele road and onlookers were killed on October 1st in a multiple auto crashes involving a tanker ladened with petrol and over 15 commercial and private vehicles.
“The tanker was said to have fallen on its own while meandering through the deplorable portion between Ologbo in Edo State and Koko junction in Delta State.
“It immediately exploded, resulting in the razing of nearby vehicles, which were trapped in the usual gridlock on the failed road. This incident has left us in a state of mourning and deep sorrow,” Ugolor said.
He said It is disheartening to note that the Ologbo portion of the Sapele-Benin road has been a nightmare for travellers, especially during the rainy season, who are often trapped for hours, and at times, an entire day, losing man hours that could have been translated to undertaking productive economic activities and earning income for the family.
Ugolor added that the trouble caused by the state of the road has not only constituted discomfort to travellers but also hinders economic activities in the region as movement of goods and petroleum products have become difficult.
The ANEEJ Executive Director pointed out that the challenge has also increased transportation costs, thereby increasing the suffering of the people who are already living in hardship and extreme poverty.
He said that the East-West road remain a crucial artery for commerce and trade, connecting a section of the South East, the South-South and South-West regions of Nigeria.
He said several appeals have been made to the federal government to urgently address this issue, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears, adding that only recently, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, visited the areas for on-the-spot assessment.
He said, following the visit, he expected rehabilitation work to commence immediately, but this has not happened.
He appealed to the federal government of Nigeria to declare a state of emergency on the East-West Road and take immediate decisive action to remedy the failed portions of the road, and even take a step further to complete the entire mega project which was started many years ago to avert a repeat of what happened on October 1.
