The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, says negligence and eroded values led to the Niger tanker explosion.

In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, the DG described the incident as “frustrating” and avoidable.

“It’s very frustrating, but we saw it coming. After the Dikko explosion (earlier this year) in Niger State, the President gave us a marching order to conduct a nationwide sensitisation,” Issa-Onilu said.

He said the agency had engaged stakeholders, including community leaders, religious leaders, security agencies, and youth groups. The NOA boss blamed the recurring tragedies on poor leadership at the community level.

“Our findings show that sensitisation alone won’t solve this problem. People are aware of the danger but ignore it.

“It’s the failure of leadership at the community level. This particular incident involved the entire community,” he said.

Issa-Onilu noted that the agency met with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to review safety measures.

He explained that the downstream petroleum agencies were already developing new regulations to prevent such incidents.

‘Scooping Fuel A Crime’

The NOA DG condemned the act of scooping fuel from fallen tankers, describing it as criminal and morally wrong.

“Why do you go near a spillage when you know the risk involved?” he asked, noting that “It happened in Dikko recently; it shouldn’t happen again.”

He said the behaviour reflected the decline of moral values in society and stressed that spilt petrol is private property, and taking it amounts to theft.

“Our values have eroded over the decades. Parents should ask their children why they want to take what belongs to another person.

“Even that fuel belongs to someone’s investment. The act of taking it is theft and prosecutable,” Issa-Onilu said.

According to him, community members should assist in salvaging products only to help the owner, not to take advantage.

“It’s beyond a fallen tanker. It’s a whole-of-society issue tied to value orientation,” he added.

Death Toll Rises To 42

The petrol tanker explosion in Essa community, Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State, has left 42 people dead and over 60 injured.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, when a tanker overturned on the dilapidated Bida–Badeggi–Agaie Road and exploded as residents tried to scoop fuel.

According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the victims included nine men, 24 women, and nine children.

Emergency responders from the police, DSS, NSCDC, FRSC, and local volunteers were deployed to the scene.

Rescue operations continued as several residents remained unaccounted for.

Community leaders blamed the bad state of the highway for the tragedy.

They urged both federal and state governments to urgently rehabilitate the road to prevent further loss of lives.

Acting on Governor Umaru Bago’s directive, a delegation led by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Murtala Bagana, visited the scene and hospitals.

Bagana said the governor had approved free and comprehensive medical care for all victims.

He added that severely injured persons were being treated at the National Hospital, Gwagwalada, and the Federal Medical Centre, Bida.

In a separate statement, Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government commiserated with the people of Niger State over the tragedy.

He noted that despite repeated warnings, some citizens continued to scoop fuel from accident scenes, risking their lives.

The minister said NEMA had been directed to support ongoing rescue and relief efforts.

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, also expressed sadness over the incident.

He said it was painful that “poverty continues to drive our people into situations where they must dangerously risk their lives to survive. No one has to die simply trying to live,” Obi stated. (Channels)