The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has expressed shock and grief over Wednesday’s petrol tanker explosion in which about 25 persons were burnt to death in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.
In a statement on Thursday, September 24, 2020, by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party described the accident as devastating.
Some students of the Kogi State Polytechnic elementary school pupils were part of those that got killed in the resultant inferno from the tanker crash.
The statement said, “Our party is extremely distressed by this horrid and traumatizing incident, which, in a very painful manner, cut short the lives of hardworking compatriots, brought instant anguish to families and painful material losses to many.
“It is even more disturbing that the fire raged without any intervention by authorities, which would have helped mitigate the effect.
“Indeed, the absence of fire and other emergency facilities around the area, despite the frequent occurrence of such accidents in the past signposts the failure and insensitivity of both the federal and Kogi State governments towards the dangers that daily confront the people”.
The PDP regretted that the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Lokoja, which would have rallied to save some of the victims had been under locks as a result of controversy over COVID-19 infections.
“The recklessness of the state government has also increased the fatalities of the number of victims affected in the ugly incident.
“Furthermore, our party is shocked by the response of the Kogi State Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja, who, instead of assuring of a definite step to safeguard the lives of the people in the area, dwelt on lame excuses, when he visited the scene of the accident,” the party said.
The party called on the Federal Government to put in place instant traffic control measures to forestall such accidents as well as to immediately establish emergency facilities in the area.
“Our party also calls on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to leave the comfort of their offices in Abuja and immediately visit the area as well as undertake a tour of our highways to witness the sorry state of infrastructure across our country, under their administration.
“Indeed, the PDP mourns. Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the victims of this accident as well as others who have perished in various road accidents due to the horrible state of our roads.
“The PDP commiserates with the families of the victims, the Kogi State Polytechnic, parents of the school children as well as the entire people of Kogi state.
“Our party prays God to grant the bereaved families the fortitude to bear their grief as well as speedy recovery for the wounded.”
