Claims that last Friday’s carnage, which cost five lives, was caused by work being done on the Eleme portion of the East-West Road in Rivers State have been refuted by Minister of Works David Umahi.
When Umahi accompanied a delegation of officials from the Federal Ministry of Works to the scene of the tanker fire in Eleme on Wednesday evening, he made this comment while briefing reporters.
He pushed for the Federal Road Safety Corps, or FRSC, to set up checkpoints to monitor drivers abusing alcohol and hard drugs, among other substances.
Remembers that Governor Siminalayi Fubara declared that 120 automobiles were destroyed in the fire, which he called an avoidable massacre, and that five people had died after getting briefs from the pertinent agencies.
In addition to offering his condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones, Umahi expressed his sympathy to the state’s residents and administration for what he called a regrettable tragedy.
However, he expressed dismay that some were attempting to take advantage of President Bola Tinubu’s good intentions by associating the accident with the repair work done on the busy road.
The Minister stated, “I was informed of this unfortunate incident while I was at work in Lagos coastal route so I decided to cut short my journey and to be in Port Harcourt. Before coming I have gotten a report from the Acting Controller, Federal Ministry of Works in Rivers.
“First, my sympathy goes to all the families of the victims for the unfortunate loss which can’t be recovered by the death of their loved ones and then to the Rivers State people and government I extend my sympathy to them.”
Umahi recounted that when President Tinubu took office, he witnessed the terrible condition of the road and ordered that work be begin on redesigning it instead of proceeding with business as normal.
“Apart from Warri to Benin and part of Lokoja there is no other section of the road in this country that this kind of construction is going on,” he added.
