Tanker Drivers Move to Check Accidents On Highways

By Andy Nssien

Leaders of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, branch of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, have commenced a ”National Safety Training for all Tanker Drivers on Steering” to instill discipline, put a check to accidents on highways and save innocent lives.

The five-day training programme which commenced at Jibowu in Lagos on Monday would end on Friday, October 26.

National Chairman of PTD, Comrade (Otunba) Salimon Akani Oladiti, at the beginning of the National Safety Training Programme, said such training of members was a very critical aspect of the union’s goals and objectives.

Oladiti said the Union was aiming at zero tanker accident in the country and urged the drivers to take the advantages of the training, noting that the training would bring changes in their lives and to other road users.

“When you have an opportunity like this training, you have to make use of it. If you can train yourself again, you can achieve more in life. I am happy to see that today, the training and retraining organized by this branch of NUPENG had been able to impact discipline in tanker drivers, and to reduce accident to barest minimum taking into cognizance minimum safety standards”

Comrade Oladiti also took time to expose 61 members of the Union who had been expelled due to misconducts, including fraudulent activities. According to him, those sanctioned would not be employed any longer in the industry because they posed danger to the progress of the union.

“The development is imperative as the union will not want to be tagged as one involved in economic sabotage.

“The offences vary from stealing of petroleum products, pipeline vandalism, product adulteration, petroleum products’ theft and illegal bunkering,’’ Oladiti said.

He added that other vices included hijack of truck, manhole manipulation, constant shortage, sales of petroleum product and replacing with bad ones.

He said the training which started three years ago had passed the test of time and equally led to reduction in accidents.

Mr Oladiti said the union had been constantly educating the members on how their contemporaries in developed country operated.

He said that the Union would also ensure the use of modern devices in motoring the members’ activities while on road, saying though, not a new method in most developed countries.

He commended FRSC for its involvement and support in the training since inception of the programme.

The PTD National Chairman further urged members to always be professional in their activities and ensure that their quota contributed positively to national development.

He also condemned a common habit among drivers whereby they remove speedometers from the dashboard of their truck in order not to know their speed.

Besides, the PTD boss noted that the Union would continue collaborating with the FRSC to ensure that petroleum tanker drivers did not become nuisance to the society.

The National President of NUPENG, Comrade Williams Akporeha on his part commended the leadership of Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch of NUPENG for their proactive and visionary initiatives among its members to ensure safety and orderliness on the roads.

Akporeha further said tanker owners must ensure that their vehicles were in good condition to avoid unnecessary crashes.

“We implore you to maintain safety standards and ensure that you do not cut any corners as you go about your businesses,” he said.

Today, I am really impressed that PTD branch of NUPENG and operators of haulage vehicles are conducting regular and relevant training such as this for their drivers, and the drivers are also being taught on how to appreciate safety strategies not only to their advantage only but to other road users.

“It is our joy to see tanker drivers ensuring contents in their vehicles are not dropping on the highways. It doesn’t take any effort for the high inflammable product to explode, if adequate care are not taken. I must also appropriate the efforts of the FRSC and other relevant agencies for their collaborations to ensure safety on our roads ” he said.

Also speaking, the Federal Road Safety Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi (FRSC) said economic loss worth N9.8 billion was lost in 196 traffic crashes recorded so far across the country in 2018. He said that the loss involved the cost of other vehicles, lives and damage to the environment and roads.

He, however, said that there was a slight reduction in the number of crashes recorded during the period, compared to previous years. According to him, the agency recorded 282 accidents involving tanker drivers in 2016 and 240 in 2017.

“We have an agreement with NUPENG PTD to organise periodic training programme for their drivers.

“This is very critical even though we have seen reduction in the traffic crashes involving tanker drivers.

“We have recorded 196 this year and the economic value is about N9.8 billion loss, involving cost of other vehicles, lives, damage to the environment and to the roads.

“NUPENG PTD is putting its best to set up capacity workshop for the tanker drivers. Once they finished in Lagos, the other programme will take place in Kaduna and Warri and this is very impressive.

“We are going to give our maximum support to NUPENG towards ensuring that the 4,000 tanker drivers are fully trained,” he said.