Disturbed by the incessant crashes of trucks conveying petroleum products nationwide, the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) has engaged stakeholders to check the ugly trend.
A recent event with the theme “Improving Safe Transportation of Petroleum Products”, attracted top government officials, regulators, and industry stakeholders who shared critical insights on enhancing safety in petroleum logistics.
In his address at the forum, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) Heineken Lokpobiri, expressed disgust over the number of casualties the country recorded recently due to tanker accidents.
Lokpobiri, spoke passionately about enhancing training for tanker drivers and installing detection leak devices to as well as other safety systems that can assist drivers.
He called on Marketers and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to enhance collaboration with stakeholders especially with training of tanker drivers.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpo Ekpo, reaffirmed government commitment to provide enabling environment to ensure safety of petroleum products transportation.
Ekpo, who was represented by Engineer Abel, said consideration should be given to more safety means of transporting products like the pipelines and railway line.
Chairman of MEMAN, Huub Stokman, said the Association has elaborate training manual for truck drivers, even as more training programmes and consistent adherence to safety measures would help to curb road accidents involving tanker drivers.
Also, speaking, the national President of Nigerian Association of Raod Transport Owners (NARTO) Yusuf Lawal Othman, called for support to marketers and NARTO in their efforts to replace rickety petrol tankers on the road.
He said the Association is keying into Federal Government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative as it is safer and more cost effective in transporting products.
The Executive Secretary of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketing Association of Nigeria (DAPPMA) Femi Adewole, said his Association maintains high level of truck integrity and ensures drivers are properly educated.
