By Ibironke Ariyo
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Abuja, Nov. 24, 2020 The Federal Government has taken measures with strategic stakeholders against petroleum tanker crashes in the country.
The Corps Public Education Officer, ACM Bisi Kazeem, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.
Naija247news reports that resolutions were reached at the meeting of the Major Oil Marketers of Nigeria (MOMAN) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) during a workshop on Sept. 24 in Abuja.
Kazeem said that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha had directed that a meeting of strategic stakeholders be held on Monday.
He said that the SGF was represented at the occassion by the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, adding that the Executive Secretaries of MOMAN and NARTO were in attendance.
According to him, the Federal Government and the Stakeholders took some far reaching resolutions aimed at tackling the menace of petroleum tanker crashes in the country.
Kazeem disclosed that the meeting recommended that the SGF should consider securing a Presidential Directive for urgent intervention in the provision of soft loans for truck renewal.
This, he said would be using similar template as applicable to pharmaceutical companies and other sectors of the economy at the peak of COVID-19.
He added that it would as well serve as a long term solution to the safe, efficient and sustainable transportation of petroleum products across the country,.
He said that the meeting stressed the need for Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to re-activate failed and vandalised pipelines in the country to reduce the burden on the transportation of petroleum products by road.
“Members further called for a timeline to be set for the enforcement of the maximum load capacity of 45,000 litres of petroleum products by trucks operating from the tank farms across the country,” he added.
The ACM disclosed that the meeting resolved that enforcement of all safety standards including anti-skid, anti-rollover and anti-spill be prioritised within a given time frame as outlined in the similar communiqué reached in 2018.
“Government to consider issuing directives on enforcement of the 10-year policy on importation of trucks, so that any articulated vehicle that is beyond 10 years of age should not be allowed into the country.
“Part of the resolutions were that FRSC, MOMAN and NARTO are to organise a joint enlightenment campaign for articulated vehicle drivers.
“This is including production and placement of jingles in different languages on radio and television stations, production of handbills and also convene a press conference within two weeks,” he said.
Naija247news reports that the resolutions were endorsed on behalf of the relevant stakeholders by Mr Clement Isong and Aloga Ogbogo, Executive Secretaries of MOMAN and NARTO respectively and the Corps Marshal of FRSC.