President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the fire incident in Lokoja that claimed the life of 23 people, as confirmed by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).
Okay.ng understands that a tanker converting petrol exploded in the early hours of Wednesday in Felele burning travellers, school children, bystanders, including some students of Kogi State Polytechnic.
Buhari in a statement issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, said the tragedy “represents another disturbing and saddening incident in the litany of tragedies that have befallen our country.”
The president quoted in the statement said: “I am seriously worried about the frequency of these unfortunate and large scale tragedies in the country which cause needless deaths.”
According to him, “these frequent incidents that result in loss of lives and property are a national scandal caused by our indifference to safety standards.”
He noted that “many accidents are preventable if proper proactive and precautionary measures are put in place or properly observed as routine policies.”
Buhari also regretted that “ours is a country where we move on whenever tragedies occur instead of taking preventive safety measures to forestall future calamities.”
The President 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.”
According to him, “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.
