NEMA warns scooping fuel from tankers invites suicide

DDM News

The Federal Government has issued a stark warning to Nigerians against the dangerous act of scooping fuel from fallen tankers.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that this warning came during a public awareness programme organized by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Uyo Operation Office, in Ikom, Cross River State.

Speaking during the event, Ms Aisueni Mmandu, the Head of NEMA’s Uyo Operation Office, described fuel scooping as a “suicide mission.”

She emphasized that the presence of petroleum products around a crash site poses extreme danger to human life.

Mmandu stated that, contrary to popular practice, rushing to collect spilled fuel is not only illegal but could easily lead to mass deaths.

She explained that petroleum fumes are highly flammable and could be ignited by the slightest spark, including static electricity from clothing or mobile phones.

She warned that many Nigerians continue to ignore these risks, often leading to fatal accidents.

She cited past tanker explosions in states like Niger, Jigawa, Delta, Enugu, Lagos, and Cross River that have claimed hundreds of lives.

Mmandu added that in many cases, entire families and communities have been wiped out due to their involvement in fuel scooping during such accidents.

She also blamed several factors for the increasing number of tanker-related explosions.

According to her, these include reckless driving, overloading, lack of vehicle maintenance, poor road conditions, and general ignorance among the public.

She stressed that tanker accidents are preventable if proper safety protocols and road regulations are strictly followed.

She called on government agencies to enforce existing safety standards and to carry out more roadworthiness checks on fuel-laden trucks.

Mmandu also urged transport unions to train their drivers on responsible conduct, especially when transporting flammable materials across Nigerian roads.

She appealed to community leaders to help educate locals about the dangers of approaching fuel tankers after crashes.

She called for mass sensitization campaigns across rural and urban communities to discourage risky behavior during such incidents.

She emphasized that the first action in any tanker fall should be to call emergency responders—not to rush for fuel.

She concluded by reiterating that no amount of fuel is worth risking human lives for.

The NEMA Uyo Operation Office oversees emergency coordination in both Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.

Their latest outreach is part of a broader initiative to reduce the loss of lives and property due to avoidable human error and ignorance.

The federal government is expected to expand similar campaigns nationwide, especially in high-risk regions along major highways.

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