Nigeria President, Bola Tinubu expressed deep sorrow in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The President mourned the victims and expressed his condolences to the families affected, as well as to the government and people of Niger State.
Tinubu also directed the relevant agencies to provide comprehensive medical care to the injured and instructed security and road safety authorities to implement measures to avert similar incidents.
The President mandated the National Orientation Agency to initiate a nationwide educational campaign to raise public awareness about the severe risks and environmental dangers of scooping fuel from fallen tankers.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government directed the immediate transfer of victims of the recent tanker explosion from Suleja General Hospital to tertiary health facilities, to ensure prompt and enhanced medical care.
Idris, who was joined by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, at the explosion scene, noted that the President had instructed the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Emergency Management Agency, and other agencies to ensure that critically injured victims received urgent care at specialist hospitals.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari expressed condolences in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu.
He expressed disappointment that the practice of scooping up fuel was becoming common despite warnings from the authorities and the devastating losses of life that had characteristically attended such incidents.
In condoling with the government and the people of Niger state, the former president wished speedy recovery to those injured.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, commiserated with families of the victims and assured them of the Federal Government’s commitment to preventing future occurrences.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, in a condolence message issued by his Media Adviser, Musa Krishi, lamented that the accident caused the loss of many lives in a terrific and shocking manner.
“The Speaker calls for proper investigation of the accident by the relevant authorities while urging motorists to be cautious while driving,” the statement read.
