The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is concerned about the escalating number of tanker fire accidents across the country and has urged appropriate authorities to address the issue of unqualified drivers operating tankers on Nigerian roadways.
Zubaida Umar, Director General of NEMA, made the plea at a sensitisation workshop organised by the agency in Ibadan.
The escalating prevalence of tanker fire incidents in Nigeria has become a major subject of concern, with lives lost year after year.
According to recent data from the Federal Road Safety Corps, 555 people died as a result of 80 tanker explosions between 2020 and 2025, with 266 people killed in 2024 alone.
To address this growing worry, the National Emergency Management Agency has taken proactive measures by bringing together sister agencies to educate tanker drivers and other road users on how to reduce the risk of tanker fire incidents.
The idea, which is being copied in other states across Nigeria, is a collaboration between the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency and the Akinyele Local Government.
OYSEMA voiced grave worry about the growing tendency of Nigerians rushing to grab fuel from accident scenes, calling for the behavior to be criminalized and offenders to face harsh consequences.
As stakeholders accept this sensitization, the number of road accidents, particularly tanker accidents, is likely to decrease across Nigerian highways.
