The Senate has called for urgent assistance for approximately 300 survivors of Tuesday night’s tanker explosion in Jigawa State.
It specifically urged the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to aid the victims.
The explosion, which occurred along the Hadejia Expressway, claimed around 100 lives.
According to Senator Hussaini Babangida (APC, Jigawa-West), who brought the incident to the Senate’s attention under matters of urgent public importance, the deceased were scooping petrol from a fully loaded tanker when it exploded.
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“Mr. President, this is one incident too many, and it puts additional pressure on already scarce medical facilities,” the lawmaker stated.
He informed his colleagues that about 100 people lost their lives, while over 300 others suffered varying degrees of burns.
The Senate urged security agencies to be more proactive in preventing such occurrences in the future.
Lawmakers observed a minute’s silence in honor of those who lost their lives.
After the motion was passed, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, called on the Government of Jigawa State to assist the survivors and launch awareness campaigns on the dangers of scooping fuel from broken-down tankers.
“This type of incident has happened before in Lagos, Ikeja, and even in my own community. Measures must be taken to prevent future occurrences,” Akpabio said.
