Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Following the Tuesday’s petroleum tanker explosion which claimed six lives and razed several vehicles in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun has banned all articulated vehicles from plying all overhead bridges across the state.
The governor also gave an assurance that his administration will do everything possible towards ensuring that victims who sustained injuries in the incident and admitted at the hospitals are provided with adequate medical attention.
Abiodun gave the order when he made an on-the-spot assessment to the scene of the tanker explosion, on Tuesday afternoon, to ascertain the causes and ways of preventing a future occurrence of such calamity.
The governor lamented what he described as “avoidable death” of the victims of the tanker fire incident which he said was coming within the first three weeks of the new year.
Addressing journalists at the scene of the incident, the governor explained that banning articulated vehicles from plying the overhead bridges in Ogun corridors remains the best solution, pending when his administration would evolve a comprehensive and well thought-out guidelines on how articulated vehicles should operate along the length and breath of the state.
“By this pronouncement this afternoon and for the purpose of clarification, articulated vehicles are not allowed on our overhead bridges across the state again.
“This restriction will include any vehicle and trucks of any sort that has a trailer attach to it, whether articulated or 30 tons. It could also be a petroleum tanker or a container carrying flat-bed and others that are articulated will not be allowed on these bridges again because of the obvious that we have seen in recent times in order to ensure the safety of lives and property of our people”. He said.
He declared that his administration will soon roll out stiffer sanctions against drivers of any petroleum tanker that is caught on any of the overhead bridges in the state.
“This is the measure among other measures that the Ministry of Transportation will be rolling out in the next few days”. The governor stressed.
Abiodun, however, disclosed that the state government has invited Burnt Specialists from Lagos State to attend to three of the victims whom he said sustained between 80 to 90 degree of burns for the purpose of ascertaining whether they would be moved out of the state for further medical attention.
