Following a tanker accident that claimed the lives of three people in Ogun State, the state government on Tuesday restricted fuel tankers and other articulated vehicles from plying overhead bridges in the state.
This was revealed by the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who gave the order after inspecting an accident scene caused by a petrol tanker at Kuto, Abeokuta.
Abiodun said tankers were henceforth banned from overhead bridges, and those who flouted the order would pay stiff penalty.
He said, “Tanker drivers will no longer be allowed to use the bridges. Anything that has trailer behind it, be it trailers, flatbeds and other articulated vehicles of either 33 or 66 tons, are henceforth ban from using the bridges”.
The governor stressed that strict road-worthiness would be enforced on such vehicles in order to avoid future recurrence.
He said, “We are going to enforce strict road worthiness on tankers and other articulated vehicles to ensure that they are mechanically good to use our roads”.
He narrated the cause of the accident saying, “As at 8am, it was reported that a tanker coming from Sagamu and heading towards Abeokuta with full load of 33,000 litres of PMS, suffered break failure as it was descending the Kuto flyover.
“The driver tried to warn people and in the process of trying to control the vehicle, it swerve to across the median and collided with other vehicles and motorcycles and tumbled. Three instant fatalities were recorded, while six people suffered various degree of burnt”, the governor recalled.
Abiodun revealed that six of the injured, three each, have been admitted at the State Hospital Ijaye and Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba.
He added that the government had provided the victims with Burnt Specialists from Lagos to give them the care that they need.
He assured that the State government would carry out a comprehensive and well thought out plan to bring a solution to the problems caused by the bridge.
The Governor condoled with the families of those who lost their lives as a result of accident, promising that the state government will ensure that the victims who were affected in one way or the other will be compensated accordingly.
He also paid a visit to injured victims at the State Hospital Ijaye and the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta.
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