By Sarah Sam Adda
Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has blamed weak community leadership and eroded national values for the frequent loss of lives from fuel scooping incidents across Nigeria.
He spoke following Tuesday’s tanker explosion in Essa, Niger State, which killed 39 people and injured over 60 after residents tried to collect spilled petrol.
Issa-Onilu said President Bola Tinubu had earlier ordered a nationwide sensitisation campaign after a similar disaster in Dikko, Niger State, but noted that awareness alone has not changed behaviour, as many knowingly ignore the risks.
“It was a failure of leadership at the community level,” he said, lamenting the “collapse of values” behind the recurring tragedies.
He added that the NOA is working with NUPENG and other stakeholders to find lasting solutions to prevent further avoidable deaths.
