Senate, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to include financial support in the package to victims of the October 16 tragic fuel tanker fire at Upper Iweka Onitsha, to enable them restart their businesses.
This followed a motion sponsored by Ifeanyi Ubah titled: “Tragic Fuel Tanker Fire disaster in Onitsha, Anambra State” at plenary, yesterday. It was co-sponsored by Stella Uduah (PDP-Anambra North) and Uche Ekwunife (PDP-Anambra Central).
The senate also urged the state government to unravel the reason fire service in in Anambra could not speedily respond to emergency with a view to curtailing such incident in future.
It also urged the police to work in conjunction with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to carry out a thorough investigation of the circumstances leading to the accident. This is with a view to prosecuting anyone found culpable in the incident.
Ubah described the death toll as unfortunate and called for acceleration in the passage of the Petroleum Tankers Safety Bill: “For such magnitude of inferno could rage for over four hours before fire Service came to rescue still beats my imagination.”
The lawmaker said in order to ensure safer roads across the country, there has to be stricter enforcement of traffic safety rules by the FRSC, the police and all relevant security agencies across the country.
Oduah said the accident could have been preventable if only there were good roads and the drivers of the tankers trained.
She said Onitsha market was crucial to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), hence federal intervention was important.
Similarly, Ike Ekweremadu said the market had been in existence for over 80 years calling for the modernisation of the market.
He said with the Act establishing insurance industry in the country and as such public institutions such as markets should be insured.