Tanker Fire Tragedy: Ohanaeze Youths Demand Urgent Action on Enugu NNPCL Depot

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, or NNPCL, has been urged to revive the dormant Enugu depot by the youth arm of the largest Igbo sociocultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide.

The call was made in response to the terrible event that took more than 20 lives along the Ugwuonyeama portion of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

According to reports, a tanker carrying fuel lost control, smashing multiple cars before catching fire.

Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council Worldwide, called the death toll tragic in a statement released on Monday.

According to Okwu, it serves as a sobering reminder of the hazards that fuel tankers bring to the roadways and the poor quality of the majority of Nigerian roads.

In addition, he pointed out that it was a call to action for the NNPCL to utilize the Enugu facility and relieve the tension of tanker drivers.

We are all aware that the Enugu depot has been inactive for a number of years, even though oil marketers have pleaded with the NNPCL to take it into consideration.

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“Moving the goods all the way from Lagos to Port Harcourt does no good for anyone, except than raising the price of fuel in our zone.

One such preventable action was the Saturday incident, in which the fully laden car lost control while descending the lethal hill.

“With this letter, we fervently urge the NNPCL to immediately begin operations at the Enugu depot.”

Additionally, Okwu emphasized that “the casualty figure would have been less if the lanes were in use” and encouraged the Federal Ministry of Works to expedite the completion of the Expressway’s second lane.

“Whatever is holding up that project should be fixed; in the public interest, the government and the contractor should work out their differences.”

The young people of Ohanaeze sent their condolences to the relatives of the accident victims and prayed to God for eternal rest for their souls.

We are aware that the accident destroyed some families. All we can say at this point is, “May God accept their souls,” even if it is devastating and we are sad. “This is excessive,” Okwu bemoaned.