Abuja, Nigeria — Authorities in Nigeria have announced plans to review safety protocols for the transportation of gasoline after a deadly tanker accident and explosion in Jigawa state killed more than 140 people Wednesday.

President Bola Tinubu said the review will be “swift and comprehensive,” but some observers are skeptical that safety standards will improve.

The tanker crashed in the village of Majiya and a short time later burst into flames, killing and injuring many who had gathered around the wreckage to scoop up spilled fuel.  

Tinubu said a review of transport protocols for gasoline will be carried out in partnership with various state authorities and that offenders of the new regulations will be punished. 

It is not clear what the new regulations will be. 

The president also sent top government officials including his defense and transportation ministers, along with food aid and medical supplies, to the site of Wednesday’s crash. 

Economic analyst Eze Onyekpere said he doesn’t expect any new measures from authorities. 

“It is a very unfortunate situation and position because the leadership of the country has not been proactive about planning for transporting of whether it’s crude oil or refined petroleum,” Onyekpere said. “The government is not known to think through issues, they just latch on when there’s a public outburst.” 

The accident in Jigawa comes barely one month after another tanker exploded after it collided with a truck in Niger state, killing 48 people. 

Tinubu has ordered the Federal Road Safety Corps, or FRSC, to strengthen enforcement of already existing road transport protocols, including regulations on night travels and official patrols. 

Energy expert Chukudi Victor Odoeme said the new measures are welcome, but is skeptical about compliance. 

“The federal government thinking at this point that it’s the time to put policies in place is a good one, but the only snag I see in this is compliance,” he said. “It has to do with enforcement, it’s not actually about the laws. Load limits have always been there, but it has never been enforced. They have to do a lot of enforcement, I don’t think it’s in creating new policies.” 

Nigeria’s 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) of oil pipelines are often prone to vandalism, and petrol suppliers mostly rely on tankers to transport fuel around the country. But due to poorly maintained roads and disregard for existing road measures, tanker accidents are common. 

Onyekpere said the government needs to repair and protect the pipelines. 

“If those pipelines were secured and maintained, that would have been the cheapest and easiest way of transporting these things in such a manner that would not expose Nigerians to a lot of risk,” Onyekpere said. 

In 2020, more than 500 people died from about 1,500 tanker accidents, according to the FRSC.
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