By: Mohammed Suleiman, Dutse
A bill to regulate and enhance safety standards with regard to articulated vehicles is before the Senate.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA , Sen. Babangida Hussain stated this in an interview with our Correspondent in Dutse.
Sen Hussaini representing Jigawa North West District said Nigeria must take urgent measures to curtail the high number of deaths on the highways by tanker explosions.
According to him, more than 1,613 Nigerians so far died in 169 fuel tanker explosions recorded across the country between June 2009 and October 2024.
This, he said, prompted him to sponsor a bill before the Senate to regulate and enhance safety standards with regard to articulated vehicles.
Hussaini, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said he led the debate on the general principles of the Articulated Vehicles Safety Regulations Bill 2025 at plenary on March 19, 2025.
“The bill was read for the first time in November 2024. The bill is to make provisions for the regulation and safety of articulated vehicles in line with the constitution.
“One of the provisions of the bill is the aspect that seeks to make it mandatory for vehicles to be inspected every six months in order to guarantee their road worthiness.
“This is necessary in view of the fact that most of the accidents on our roads are caused by negligence by their owners and drivers, whom most times don’t take the vehicles’ road worthiness into consideration so long as they are moving.”
When passed into law, the bill will contribute to the search for lasting solution to the menace of articulated vehicles on Nigerian roads.
“Recently, we witnessed a series of mishaps involving petrol tankers explosions in Jigawa, Lagos, Niger and other parts of the country. The persistent carnage caused by the haulage of petroleum products has made it imperative for legislation of this nature.
“It is necessary for the Senate to support and expedite the passage of the bill in view of its significance. There won’t be any additional financial boden on government when the law comes into effect. It will be strictly enforced by existing statutotry bodies.”
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