ALGON National President Hon. Engr. Bello Lawal Mourns Niger State Tanker Explosion Victims, Advocates for Enhanced Rural Safety Measures
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The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has expressed its deepest condolences to His Excellency, Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State, the families of the victims, and prays for the speedy recovery of those injured in the recent tanker explosion.
Speaking through the Association’s National President, the statement read that ccondolences are also extended to the Government and people in the states like Oyo and Jigawa, where similar incidents have occurred recently.
ALGON noted that the frequent recurrence of such incidents underscores the need for a more national emergency response that focuses on community engagement and attitudinal reorientation across the communities and villages regarding the dangers of scooping fuel or approaching the scene of such accident.
While ALGON commended the Federal and state governments for their prompt intervention and response to the disaster with their collaborative and swift deployment of emergency services and relief materials, such has helped mitigate the impact of the tragedy which is step in the right direction.
ALGON appreciated the efforts of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), the support of ALGON Chairman Niger, Hon Zakari lyiasu and the Chairman of Gurara local Government, Hon AbsulAllam Tanko, where the inferno occurred, for coordinating government’s commitment to supporting affected communities and preventing escalation.
However, the Association through Hon Yandaki again recognized that more needs to be done to address the root causes of such disasters and therefore appealed to the Federal Government to widen its preventive approach by cascading it down to LGAs through improving road safety strategies, awareness literature, and through rural inclusion in policy and planning to enhance emergency preparedness, and provide support for limited knowledge in local emergency response plans at the rural level.
To achieve this he observed that the association recommends increasing funding for road safety initiatives and emergency response programmes, strengthening regulatory frameworks to ensure compliance with safety standards by both Tanker operators and other commuters in land, rail, air and sea as well, and enhancing collaboration between Federal, State, and Local governments to develop effective emergency response plans.
Furthermore, he said that ALGON advocates for training and equipment for local emergency responders, as well as support for effective community-based initiatives aimed at promoting road safety awareness and education.
“ALGON is ever determined and committed to working with the Federal Government, state governments, and other stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
“We will continue to advocate for the needs of local communities and support efforts to promote road safety, emergency preparedness, and disaster response”, the statement concluded.
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