President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to news of the tanker explosion in Lokoja, Kogi state capital.
The explosion which resulted in the loss of lives of travellers, school children, bystanders, students of Kogi State Polytechnic has been described as “disturbing and saddening.”
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the president said that he was seriously worried about the frequency of these unfortunate and large scale tragedies in the country which cause needless deaths.
“These frequent incidents that result in loss of lives and property are national scandal caused by our indifference to safety standards.
”Many accidents are preventable if proper proactive and precautionary measures are put in place or properly observed as routine policies.
”Ours is a country where we move on whenever tragedies occur instead of taking preventive safety measures to forestall future calamities.
“However, refusal to do the right thing can cause potential tragic problems that harm innocent people,” he said.
He condoled with the government of Kogi state and the affected families and asked the transport authorities, traffic and road management agencies as well as law enforcement officials to sit up and enforce stringent safety standards.
