Once again, the nation is mourning, and once again, lives have been senselessly lost to an avoidable disaster. Lives abruptly and violently ended in a horrifying series of tanker explosions; families ripped apart, dreams shattered, and futures extinguished. The recent tanker explosion at Dikko Junction in Niger State, claiming 88 lives and adding to a grim tally of 265 souls since September 2024, underscores a catastrophic failure of governance. This grim toll is not merely a statistic; it is a damning indictment of the Nigerian government’s ineptitude and indifference. Despite repeated promises and “high-powered committees,” the Nigerian government’s response to these tragedies, reeks of empty rhetoric and criminal neglect. President Bola Tinubu’s response, a so-called “high-powered committee” and a recycled litany of empty promises, is as predictable as it is insulting. With each tragedy, we are treated to the same hollow rituals: declarations of sorrow, perfunctory condolence visits, and vague assurances of “never again.” Yet, the bodies pile higher, and the carnage continues unabated. Where is the urgency, where is the accountability and where is the leadership?
The explosion at Dikko Junction in Niger State, which claimed 88 lives and counting, is not an isolated incident but part of an appalling pattern. In just a few months, similar infernos in Ibadan, Ife, Agai, and Jigawa have claimed 265 lives in total. This is no longer a tragic coincidence; it is a systemic failure. The government’s response has been nothing short of catastrophic. Tinubu’s directive for the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to “sensitize the public” about the dangers of scooping fuel from fallen tankers is laughably insufficient. What about addressing the root causes? What about fixing the decrepit roads that turn every journey into a deathtrap? What about enforcing safety standards for tanker operators? What about ensuring first responders are equipped and trained to handle such emergencies? Instead, the administration deflects responsibility, blaming victims for their desperation while ignoring the systemic failures that create such desperation.
The President’s decision to transfer injured victims to tertiary health facilities for better care is a belated and inadequate gesture. Where was this concern before lives were lost? Where are the comprehensive policies to ensure tankers are roadworthy, drivers are trained, and communities are protected from these mobile bombs? Instead of proactive governance, we get reactive platitudes. Instead of decisive action, we get committees. The parade of condolences from prominent Nigerians, from ex- President Muhammadu Buhari to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, reeks of political theater. Their words ring hollow in the face of decades of neglect and corruption that have turned Nigerian roads into corridors of death. These officials are complicit in this tragedy, their inaction and mismanagement paving the way for these recurring disasters.
The government’s penchant for reactive measures instead of proactive policies is both baffling and infuriating. The deployment of road safety personnel, the instruction to the National Orientation Agency to sensitize citizens, and the promise of medical care for the injured—all announced with fanfare after the Dikko Junction tragedy—are not new ideas. These are measures that should have been routine, embedded in a robust public safety framework years ago. Meanwhile, tanker explosions continue to leave trails of death and destruction across the country. The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has rightly pointed to the deplorable state of our roads as a key factor in these tragedies. Yet, the government continues to pay lip service to infrastructure development while squandering resources on wasteful projects and lining the pockets of cronies. How many more lives must be sacrificed before the government prioritizes the safety and well-being of its citizens over its own greed and incompetence?
The Inspector General of Police’s directive to enforce traffic regulations and the NMDPRA’s hint at reviewing safety rules are woefully inadequate. These are band-aid solutions to a gaping wound. What is needed is a comprehensive overhaul of road safety policies, stringent enforcement of tanker safety regulations, and a massive investment in road infrastructure. Anything less is an abdication of responsibility. The Nigerian people are weary of condolences and promises. We do not need another committee or another round of bureaucratic posturing. We need action. Fix the roads. Regulate tanker operations. Enforce safety standards. Provide emergency response facilities across the country. Address the root causes of poverty and ignorance that drive citizens to danger zones.
The Nigerian government’s response to these tanker tragedies is not just insufficient; it is criminally negligent. The sight of citizens scrambling to scoop fuel from fallen tankers, often at the cost of their lives, is a damning indictment of the state of our nation. This behavior is not simply a matter of ignorance; it is a symptom of pervasive poverty and despair. No amount of public sensitization can address this until economic conditions improve, and people no longer feel compelled to risk death for a few liters of fuel. This is a nation on fire, and its leaders are fiddling while the flames consume their people. Enough is enough. The time for empty promises and superficial gestures is over. Nigerians deserve action. They deserve leaders who value their lives more than their political survival. They deserve a government that prioritizes safety, accountability, and competence.
The Dikko Junction tragedy, and the 265 lives lost to tanker explosions in recent months must be the final wake-up call for the government. If these incidents continue unabated, the blood of future victims will be on the hands of those in power. The time for platitudes is over. It is time for decisive action to end this avoidable carnage. History will not forget, and neither should we. It is time to demand better, to hold our leaders accountable, and to refuse to accept a status quo that treats human lives as expendable. The Nigerian government has failed its people. It is time for that failure to end.
