Reps make case for victims of tanker explosion in Ondo
By Aluta News
The House of Representatives has urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to immediately send relief materials and pay the bills of victims of Sunday’s taker explosion in Ore in Ondo.
The call was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Festus Adefiranye (APC-Ondo) at plenary in Abuja.
Moving the motion earlier, Adefiranye described as unfortunate, the loss of over 30 lives including that of a pregnant woman and three children.
He said that the sad event occurred on Sunday, July 23, 2023, when a tanker laden with Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) lost control at Ore town in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo.
The rep said that apart from the deaths recorded, other people sustained different degrees of injuries, while over 10 vehicles and 15 buildings were destroyed.
Adefiranye said that the affected persons will need the urgent support of the government agencies responsible emergencies cases.
“The incident hindered normal, social and economic activities of Ore town; dangerous and arbitrary parking by truck drivers limiting the free flow of vehicular movement on the highway have led to loss of many lives on the road.
“The recurrence of the incidents across the country makes one to wonder if the drivers of truck with inflammable content are qualified to drive such cargo and have been trained in immediate safety precautions,” he said.
The house urged the Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps to clear the trucks on the highway to forestall future occurrence.
The lawmakers resolved to investigate the cause of the incident with a view of proffering solutions and preventing recurrence in other parts of the country.
In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu mandated the committee to investigate and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
The house observe a minute silence in honour of those that lost their lives in tragic incident.
