The Oyo State Fire Services Agency has decried incessant petrol tanker accidents in the state and its accompanying loss of lives.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that two persons lost their lives when two petrol tankers lost control, collided and caught fire on the Ife-Ibadan Expressway on Wednesday.
NAN also reports that no fewer than 10 petrol tanker accidents have been recorded in the state in the first quarter of 2025.
Mr Yemi Akinyinka, General Manager of the state Fire Service Agency, speaking to newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan, said that one of the major challenges faced by the agency was the issue of petrol tanker accidents.
The general manager said that the incidences of accidents involving petrol tankers had become rampant in the state.
According to him, it is now a cause for serious concerns, particularly as it always occurs with attendant loss of lives and properties worth millions of naira.
He called on the petrol tanker drivers’ association to assist the agency by impressing on their members to be more careful when on the highways and to also avoid driving when fatigued.
The general manager said that it was not proper for petrol tanker drivers and other motorists to drive when they are tired.
According to him, anyone handling machinery or driving vehicles should take time off to rest whenever they are tired and later continue the work or journey when they are refreshed.
“I want to plead with them to also repair their vehicles before embarking on transportation of petrol or diesel.
“All these things we are losing cannot be replaced easily.
“Yesterday, two lives were lost due to a petrol tanker accident, and these people would have had plans for Easter or Eld-Kabir that is coming soon,” he said.
NAN
