The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has said that the union has so far recorded almost no major accidents in 2018, quoting the records and statistics of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC).
In a report published on the union website and obtained by Shipping Position Daily last week, Deputy General Secretary (DGS) of NUPENG in charge of Operations, Comrade Afolabi Olawale stated this while advising members of the Petroleum Tanker Driver (PTD) of the union to adhere strictly to safety standards.
He said adhering to roads safety standards was the only antidote to frequent accidents and tankers explosions within city centers and on major roads.
“I am so pleased today and can boldly say that the efforts of NUPENG so far have not been in vain. We have recorded almost no major accidents this year and according to the records and statistics of FRSC road fatalities occasioned by tanker drivers have reduced drastically; this is good news for us as a Union. It shows our campaign on safety on wheels is yielding the desired results”
“We are happy that we are not only oiling the economic wheel of this nation, we are doing it in such a way that we put the safety of lives and property of Nigerians above personal gains and we spare no cost to achieve this important goal,” he stated
Comrade Afolabi however called on all stakeholders to be alive to their responsibilities and work for the good of the nation especially the oil and gas value chain which is the key driver of Nigeria’s economy
He commended NUPENG PTD under the leadership of Comrade Akanni Salimon Oladiti for conducting timely and regular training for their drivers, even as he tasked the drivers to appreciate safety strategies at all times.
He said that today, each driver of the union have been effectively equipped with relevant information that would make them to be efficient and resourceful in their chosen career.
“I believe training have created a very big impact on the attitude of tanker drivers on the highway. Without contradiction, it has helped to reduce, if not totally eradicate, frequent tanker accidents on the highway because if a tanker gets involved in an accident, it is going to cause a lot of damage to people and properties”
“PTD must therefore be commended for training their members because they are the ones that have interface with the vehicles and other road users,” he said.
Shipping Position Daily however recalls that not less than nine people were roasted to death while dozens of vehicles got burnt in June 2018 alone when a petroleum tanker sparked an inferno on the Otedola Bridge in Lagos.
The owner of the petrol tanker was later arrested by the police.
Federal Road Safety Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi (FRSC) recently confirmed that economic loss worth N9.8 billion was lost in 196 traffic crashes recorded so far across the country in 2018. He said that the loss involved the cost of other vehicles, lives and damage to the environment and roads.
He, however, said that there was a slight reduction in the number of crashes recorded during the period, compared to previous years. According to him, the agency recorded 282 accidents involving tanker drivers in 2016 and 240 in 2017.
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