Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Today, the Federal Government and others, will meet at a Stakeholders’ Summit on Haulage Transportation in Nigeria, to deliberate on how to tackle recent rising cases in road traffic crashes involving tankers/trailers in the country; with the attendant loss of human and material resources.
The summit is being held a week after the recent Otedola Link Bridge fire accident in Lagos, after a petrol-laden tanker crashed, exploded and killed 12 people.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who is convening the summit said the federal government is concerned about the detrimental consequences of the problem to the nation’s quest for growth and speedy development.
He said the forum will proffer solutions to what he called an “unacceptable trend.”
The Permanent Secretary (General Services Office), Olusegun Adekunle, who signed the statement, added that the forum will provide a platform for robust deliberation among all stakeholders with a view to safe-guarding lives and property in the country.
Some of the 52 stakeholders expected are Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, ministers of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris
Others are Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Branch of NUPENG, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), National President, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Association of Tank Farm Owners, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Depo and Petroleum Product Marketers (DAPPMA), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), among others.