President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the death of 23 persons who lost their lives on Wednesday, September 23, in a tanker explosion.
The tanker exploded in Felele Area, Lokoja, the Kogi State Capital claiming the lives of travellers, school children, bystanders, including some students of Kogi State Polytechnic.
Read Also: Boy Survives Lokoja Tanker Explosion As Death Toll Rises To 23 (videos)
Reacting to this, President Buhari said that;
I am seriously worried about the frequency of these unfortunate and large scale tragedies in the country which cause needless deaths.
He stated that;
THIS REPRESENTS ANOTHER DISTURBING AND SADDENING INCIDENT IN THE LITANY OF TRAGEDIES THAT HAVE BEFALLEN OUR COUNTRY.
President Buhari stressed that;
These frequent incidents that result in loss of lives and property are a national scandal caused by our indifference to safety standards.
He explained that;
Many accidents are preventable if proper proactive and precautionary measures are put in place or properly observed as routine policies.
The President noted that;
Ours is a country where we move on whenever tragedies occur instead of taking preventive safety measures to forestall future calamities.
President Buhari called on the county’s transport authorities, traffic and road management agencies as well as law enforcement officials to sit up and enforce safety standards with more seriousness, adding that;
Refusal to do the right thing can cause potential tragic problems that harm innocent people.
Nigeria is not having a shortage of laws and regulations, but our problem is lack of zeal to enforce those laws and regulations for the sake of public safety.
He condoled with Kogi State government and the families of the victims of the tragedy.
