Niger state government has expressed sadness over the tanker explosion at the Dikko junction on Abuja-Kaduna highway which led to loss of lives and properties.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday by Mary Noel Berje, his Chief Press Secretary, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said it was heartbreaking to see innocent people losing their lives because of the recklessness of others.
He decried the activities of tanker and trailer drivers who park illegally by the roadside, and warned that the state government would no longer condone such illegalities.
“It is quite unfortunate that the accident happened. As a government we are pained to see the lives of our people being cut short, especially as a result of recklessness of drivers,” Governor Bello said.
He vowed that the state government would collaborate with relevant agencies both at the federal and state level in enforcing laws on illegal motor parks and indiscriminate parking on highways.
He therefore directed relevant state agencies to clear illegal motor parks where the accident took place and others scattered across the state as well as illegal markets.
“We will enforce all necessary laws with regards to illegal motor parks and other activities on the highways.
“I have therefore directed that the illegal park where the accident took place and other illegal motor parks and markets in the state be cleared off. We would ensure that our laws are enforced to the letter,” he stated.
He also directed the State Emergency Management Agency to take assessment of the accident with a view to ascertaining the level of damage done.
The statement also quoted the Speaker of the State Assembly, Barrister Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, as urging local government councils to also tighten all loose ends in their laws to ensure enforcement at all means.
According to him, the challenge was not that there were no legislations to check the illegal activities of tanker drivers and other motorists, but the lack of enforcement of the legislations by those charged with the responsibility of doing so.
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