The Federal Roads Safety Corps, FRSC, has called for the harmonisation of data with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) and Petroleum Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPRA) in order to ensure safety on Nigerian roads.
It also stressed the need to ensure that tank farms’ compliance to minimum safety standards were achieved.
The call was made by the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, when the Chief Operating Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Downstream, Mr. Henry Ikem Obih, met with him.
The meeting, according to the Corps Public Education Officer of FRSC, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, was to discuss the roadmap to achieve the plan of action of the Haulage Summit which was held recently at the instance of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The summit was held with the view of stopping the incessant road accidents involving trucks and other vehicles.
Kazeem stated that the Corps Marshal equally addressed the issues of safety valves which must be in place in all tankers to make sure that where there is a crash incident, the content of the tanker is not spilled; compliance to Road Transport Safety Standardization Scheme (RTSSS) and need for tankers to have three number plates.
The Corps Marshal also spoke about provisions being made to acquire equipment for testing trucks at tank farms; payment of trucks tied to meeting minimum standards; fleet renewal for truck operators; capacity building of staff at tank farms; harmonisation of operating safety requirements at all tank farms and possibility of pegging tanker carrying capacity to 33,000 litres.
Mr. Henry Ikem Obih expressed his gratitude to the Corps for the support through monitoring of tankers at the depot.
He equally stated that NNPC was committed to maintaining the working relationship to ensure operational excellence, security and coordination.
He further stressed that NNPC’s special interest in the behaviour of drivers was important because of the challenges faced in loading petroleum products with pipeline.
While he noted that the trucks plying roads in Nigeria were many, he expressed the interest in making sure that trucks arrive their destinations safely.
He assured the Corps of cooperation and commitment to the action plans, saying it would ensure that there was no scarcity of fuel.
The COO welcomed the idea of harmonising data, ensuring minimum safety standards, and other ideas presented by the Corps Marshal.
He advised that before getting to the implementation stage, other stakeholders like Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas/Petroleum Tanker Drivers (NUPENG-PTD); Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN); Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG); National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) be involved from the onset.
He equally commended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, for the summit of Haulage Operators in Nigeria.
