Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019 elections, Mr Peter Obi, has described as painfully sad and heartbreaking, the tanker explosions that claimed precious lives of people at Lokoja – Abuja Road, Kogi State, and the Ifako-Ijaiye area of Lagos.
In a press release from his Media Office on Friday, Obi lamented that barely few hours after a tanker explosion claimed no fewer than 23 lives in Kogi State, another gas explosion occurred in Lagos, leaving behind monumental destruction. He said the news of such tragedies were very worrisome and called for serious concern from all quarters.
Obi, who noted that most of the victims of Kogi tanker explosion were reportedly school children and students of Kogi State Polytechnic, said that it was heartbreaking to imagine the pain of losing such future leaders to the cold hands of death.
Decrying the alarming rate of road accidents in Nigeria today, Obi said: “We must not turn a blind eye to the frequent occurrence of road accidents in the country. We all must play our part in ensuring that these ugly disasters are eradiated or minimally reduced. Let governments at all levels ensure that the road networks under their care are well maintained. Road users own the duty of ensuring that their vehicles are road worthy and they obey all road traffic regulations. Let us all join hands to end these ugly menace.”
The former Anambra State governor called on the county’s transport authorities, traffic and road management officials and other law enforcement agencies to enforce the road safety laws with more seriousness. He reminded them how delicate their jobs were and how a mere act of negligence or oversight could result in deadly consequences for road users.
Obi commiserated with the Kogi and Lagos state governments over what he described as very unpleasant and challenging moments for them and the nation at large. He condoled with the families of the victims while praying God to grant the dead eternal rest.
“My deepest condolences go to the affected families and the government and people of both Kogi and Lagos states. May God strengthen you all through these trying times as we continue to pray for the repose of the dead,” Obi added.