NAN-H-92
Petrol
By Aminu Ahmed Garko
Minna, Feb.17, 2017 ( NAN) Mr Slaku Bijimi, Head of Operations, National Emergency Management (NEMA), Minna, Niger, on Friday advised residents and commercial drivers against keeping petrol inside their vehicles and homes.
Bijimi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna that such habit posed potential disasters to them.
He said that keeping petrol inside vehicles during this harmattan period exposes road users to danger.
“We have reached out to the officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to educate their members on the need to desist from such acts” he said.
He also advised private and commercial drivers to always exercise caution while driving early in the morning due to the cloudy atmosphere that usually accompanies the harmattan season.
“Motorists should also ensure that their headlights are switched on while driving for clear vision in order to avoid road crashes, “he said.
He also warned residents especially rural communities against bush burning, adding that uncontrolled and indiscriminate bush burning had led to loss of lives and property on many occasions.
Bijimi said that as a preventive measure, rural residents should clear bushes around their houses so that when they were not around and someone put the nearby bush on fire, the area would not be affected.
He said that clearing bushes around houses would go a long way in helping to reduce fire outbreaks during the harmattan season.
He solicited the support of the mass media in sensitising the public on fire prevention and control measures.( NAN)
AAG/JPE/PAD
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Edited by Joseph Edeh/Peter Dada