The House of Representatives has blamed the deplorable condition of the Bida?Agaie?Lapai?Lambata?Diko Road and weak enforcement of safety standards for recurring tanker explosions and fatal accidents in Niger State, which have claimed several lives and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance titled ?Urgent Need for Intervention on the Recurrent Tanker Explosions, Fatal Accidents, and Gridlock Along the Bida?Agaie?Lapai?Lambata?Diko Road in Niger State?, sponsored by Rt. Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi (SMA), representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency.

Abdullahi, while moving the motion during Wednesday?s plenary session, expressed deep grief over the recent tanker explosion at Essa Village in Katcha Local Government Area, which claimed more than 30 lives and left over 40 others injured.

He said the inferno also destroyed vehicles, livestock, and perishable goods valued at millions of naira.

He explained that the tragedy occurred along the Bida?Agaie?Lapai?Lambata?Diko Road, a major federal highway linking Niger State to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other parts of the country. The road, he said, serves as a critical corridor for the transportation of petroleum products, agricultural commodities, and other goods.

The lawmaker lamented that the disaster in Essa Village was one of many recurring explosions and accidents on the route in recent months, leading to persistent loss of lives and livelihoods and eroding public confidence in the safety of the road.

He expressed concern that the road had remained in deplorable condition for decades despite successive administrations awarding multiple contracts for its rehabilitation, none of which had been fully executed or delivered.

Abdullahi noted that the project was previously captured under the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model designed to leverage corporate tax obligations for critical infrastructure delivery.

He, however, regretted that the Federal Government?s recent cancellation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)?s intervention on roads had thrown several ongoing or proposed projects, including the Bida?Agaie?Lapai?Lambata?Diko Road, into uncertainty and execution limbo.

?The continued neglect of this vital highway has turned it into a death trap for motorists, tanker drivers, and traders, while causing frequent gridlocks, destruction of goods, and severe hardship for commuters and residents,? he said.

Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to immediately mobilise resources and contractors to commence full rehabilitation, expansion, and completion of the Bida?Agaie?Lapai?Lambata?Diko Road, especially the sections between Bida and Agaie.

It also mandated the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and relevant agencies to intensify enforcement of safety standards for tanker and heavy-duty operations to ensure compliance with roadworthiness, loading procedures, and emergency response protocols.

The lawmakers further called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials and medical support to the victims and families affected by the Essa Village tanker explosion.

The House directed its Committees on Works, FERMA, FRSC, and Finance to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the road and review the status of its previous contractual arrangements and to report back within two weeks for further legislative action. (The Guardian)

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