Experts link tanker explosions to weak safety enforcement

Members of the Nigeria Institution of Safety Engineers (NISE) have attributed the frequent fuel tanker accidents across the country to the lack of enforcement of safety regulations by relevant authorities.

The position was made clear during a national workshop on petroleum tanker explosions held in Abuja on Tuesday. Engr. Peter Alamu, speaking on the topic “Engineering and Human Factors Leading to Tanker Explosions,” stressed the urgent need for preventive and corrective measures to reduce truck rollovers and related incidents.

According to Alamu, Nigeria’s persistent fuel tanker accidents point to systemic failures in regulatory enforcement and vehicle standards.

“We need standards. As long as anything goes, we will always have a problem. We need a standard of what our trucks will look like. We need a standard of who should be the driver or what qualification he should possess,” he said.

He noted that a study conducted by the institution revealed many drivers were unfit for the job.

“In one of our studies, we discovered that several drivers are driving and are not seeing. It’s happening on Nigerian roads,” he added.

Alamu also criticised weak enforcement mechanisms, calling on agencies such as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Police, and Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) to strengthen their operations. “If you have the standard and the enforcement fails, nothing happens,” he said.

He further urged truck owners and their associations to view adherence to safety regulations as a means of protecting their investments. “They lose people, they lose money. If they see from the other side that they want to prevent those losses, then they will follow these standards and the law enforcement officers will have less work to do.”

He also called for improved data collection and transparency, suggesting that agencies like the Chemical Safety Board (CSD) and the National Chemical Safety Directorate (NCSD) publish incident reports to inform better safety practices.

Alamu, who oversees the safe operation and maintenance of a fleet of over 600 vehicles, including tankers and hoisting equipment, was among several experts who made presentations during the workshop.

Earlier, the President of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Margaret Oguntala, described the event as timely, given the devastating impact of tanker accidents on Nigerian lives and infrastructure. She reiterated the role of engineers in promoting public safety through the application of their expertise.

Representing the NISE Chairman, Deputy Chairman Engr. Dr. Andrew Abanum said the Abuja workshop was the second of its kind, following a similar event held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. He encouraged participants—including regulators, fuel marketers, civil society organisations, and lawmakers—to deliberate on practical solutions to the recurring crises.

He pointed to non-adherence to safety standards and poor implementation of existing laws as central to the ongoing incidents, which have resulted in the loss of lives and assets valued in billions of naira.