• Urge government agencies to sensitise people on temptation
By Cosmas Omegoh
Don’t go to anywhere close to a fallen petrol tanker or burst petrol pipelines. Get away from scenes where petrol is in the air as soon as possible. And don’t bother to scoop fuel from anywhere the product seems to be wasting, no matter how strong the temptation to do so might be. These are tips coming from those who know about the danger and combustive nature of petrol.
The experts are unhappy that Nigerians have continued to die in their hundreds from fire outbreaks at petrol spill scenes despite repeated warnings against this. In their reckoning, such deaths are needless.
Every now and then, petrol tankers overturn on the highways, spilling millions of litres of petrol on the environment. Oftentimes, some persons innocently find themselves trapped at the scene. Then an accident happens. Fire breaks out and they get killed.
In the various parts of the country, it happens that vandals rupture petrol pipelines, leaving petrol gushing out feely in great quantity. The vandals don’t care about what might happen to either the environment or to the people who might chance on it and want to help themselves.
Sadly, both rural and urban folks who see such opportunities besiege petrol-tanker disaster scenes; they often end up in tragic situations. This keeps happening in several places across the country, leading to thousands of Nigerian lives being lost.
The situation calls for sensitisation campaigns to be mounted to encourage the people to distance themselves from petrol-disaster scenes when an accident happens.
Over the past two decades, nearly every part of the country has witnessed one form of fuel-fire disaster or the other. Each one of them ended a huge disaster. Yet, millions of people who witnessed what went down do not seem to learn any lessons.
At the moment, some Nigerians are worried that such sad incidents have continued to reoccur, thus stressing the need for all and sundry to be careful while handling petrol.
They are united in emphasising to Nigerians that they need to be alive rather than to die needlessly.
On October 18, 1998, for instance, many can still recall how a pipeline fire explosion occurred at Jesse in Delta State, claiming over 1,082 lives. That goes down as the most deadly of such incidents in Nigerian history.
The Jesse disaster is one that ought to remain memorable to everyone and even in the hearts of people who were not born when it happened. But that has not been so.
A few years ago, well over 40 persons lost their lives when an articulated vehicle carrying petrol upturned on the Benin-Warri expressway near Sapele, spilling its content. Many people who died in the incident were well aware of the Jesse debacle.
In Lagos, the 2009 pipeline fire that killed well over 50 people stands out in its scale and fury, as well as its attendant loss of property.
In Imo State, the Abaezi, Ohaji/Egbema fuel fire tragedy saw the loss of over 110 people.
Similarly, disasters have occurred in Kaduna, Ibadan, even on a repeated scale.
The most recent incident that occurred in Jigawa on October 19, 2024, claiming no fewer than 170 lives, shook the whole of the country. Mostly young people who came out to scoop free fuel from a fallen tanker, perished as they were doing so. It happened too suddenly; a fire occurred, engulfing the entire area and the people.
Those who are lucky to be alive afterwards, who suffered first-degree burns are still recuperating in hospital; some of them are maimed for live.
Something common to victims of Nigeria’s petrol fire accidents is that the dead are burnt beyond recognition. All what is seen is charred remains of the victims.
The sight of the victims each time brings to mind, memories of how similar incident happened in one part of the country or the other. And after that life goes on.
Prof Ademola Aremu, a specialist in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, is one of the many Nigerians unhappy with the recurring incidents.
“I feel so sad that many Nigerians are so ignorant of certain things to the point that they risk their lives.
“People must know that no matter how poverty-stricken they are, staying alive gives hope of something to come.
“When people see others scooping fuel because it is free, they forget that a spark is possible and will happen soon.
“No one should be risking their lives no matter how hard things might be.
“Nigerians must note this: anywhere they see a fallen tanker with fuel gushing from it, they must stay far away.
“Oftentimes, what people consider is what they are going to gain from the fuel they scoop. But they easily forget that it is most important to stay alive. Once there is a spark, everyone around the area is a goner!”
Fuel deadly, highly inflammable
Petrol, Prof Aremu reminds all is an inflammable material.
“Petrol being inflammable means that it can catch fire easily. When petrol burns, it undergoes a chemical reaction called combustion; that in itself, among other things, produces heat and carbon dioxide.
“Because of its nature, it easily sustains in the air; it burns in air with oxygen, such that when any spark occurs, it causes an inferno.
“People need to be highly educated that once they are near any inflammable material, they need to be very careful.
“The inferno that might follow might not necessarily be from someone striking a match. No! It might be from someone trying to make or answer a telephone call, or someone mistakenly striking metals together within the area. PMS is so highly inflammable because of its peculiar chemical composition which easily attracts naked fire. It contains gases that can easily locate fire as long as it is close. It is different from diesel and kerosene. What is common to them is hydrocarbon. It attracts fire very easily.
“The message here is that people must deal with fuel with a lot of caution. There must not be naked fire near it.”
He also warned people who make phone calls while staying close to petrol.
He said: “When you make calls, there are emissions that are produced. This can actually, easily produce tiny naked fire that can set up real inferno. That is why you are warned not to make use of your cell phone at filling stations.”
Fuel also dangerous to health
Prof Aremu also warned that all the gas petrol produces are highly dangerous to health.
“That is why you are advised not to store fuel anywhere it could be inhaled. The gas it produces can be damaging to the human system. It constitutes serious hazard. One can get choked.”
He also warned that it is dangerous to locate petrol filling stations anywhere near a living estate.
“People need to tread with caution if they are anywhere around petrol. If you are one who smokes cigarettes, you must be conscious when you have petrol near you.
“People must never store petrol near a kitchen. In places where it is necessary that petrol must be stored, a notice needs to be placed there so that if anyone is taking a risk, that must be a known risk. That is why such notices are placed in filling stations.”
Government has not done enough
Veteran journalist, and advertising and public relations practitioner, Kanayo Esinulo, believes that relevant agencies of the government have not done enough to sensitise the people to always stay away from petrol fire disaster scenes.
He said: “The government has not done enough; otherwise why would anyone insist on scooping fuel from a place they ought to know that fire might occur soon?
“The Jigawa incident shook me to my marrow. A tanker burst, and people went on to scoop petrol. What level of poverty has people come to?
“People must know that once there is such fall, fire might follow. That is the chemistry of fuel.
“The incessant fuel-fire accidents make me sad. They are becoming too many, too often.
“In fact, the government orientation agencies have not done enough. They need the services, sympathy and co-operation of the media. Even the social media should be attracted, and solicited to get involved in fighting against the monster because it is taking a greater toll of lives in Nigeria.”
He reasoned that the various government orientation agencies were taking things for granted, insisting that they must rethink their relationship with the media, and come up with ingenious ways of dealing with the challenge.
Esinulo reminded everyone that “it doesn’t make anyone happy that we are losing lives.
“Because we are 200 million in number does not mean that we should be losing too many people to things that are preventable – like fuel fire. It is unfortunate.”
He called on the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in particular to begin to produce messages in local languages to educate people to stay away from potential petrol disaster scenes because more were surely going to happen in the days ahead.
“We need to come to their level,” he reasoned, adding that “the victims, you must recall, are mainly people in the low class. Their challenge is a function of their exposure and education – and poverty too.
“The government needs to get to their level – get them involved directly by speaking their language and getting them to understand the consequences of what they might do and eventually get killed. That is the better way to go!”