Fashola Tasks FG on Movement of PMS Through Railways

The Lagos State Government has expressed deep sadness over the petrol tanker explosion in Apapa, leading to death of scores of Nigerians, stressing that the accident is indeed a wake-up call on the Federal Government to commence movement of Premium Motor Spirits(PMS) through the Nigerian Railways.

Fashola who spoke after inspecting on-going projects in Ketu and Ikorodu noted that lives would not have been lost if PMS is moved through the railways adding that organisations who move PMS through the roads can also buy coaches with tanker to move their products. He added that the measure would not only save lives but would also elongate the lifespan our roads.

He noted that Nigeria is probably one of the few oil producing nations left in the world still trucking tankers right through cities.

“There should be no rocket science about restoring the old trains because if indeed they are working as being claimed, they should be used to move fuel out of the road. It would save fuel, it would save the road and it would help us, the tanker drivers and those who own the tankers who can now buy rail wagons. So it is the same mentality and the same philosophy”, he said
He advised those who trade by expressways to also change their dispositions.

“You cannot trade on the highway because it is not a shopping plaza. I recognize your right to do business but at what cost and these are some of the things I have said time and again that only the living can trade and every time that you seek to earn a living, you must do so in a manner that doesn’t put your life at risk”, he maintained.

He called on the legislatures and accountants in Nigeria to probe the missing $10 billion from the accounts of the Nigerian Petroleum Corporation(NNPC).

“If you do the mathematics, 10 billion dollars is a lot of money. One dollar of public money is a lot of money. But serious questions must be asked by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), it must be asked by Nigerians and must be asked by the National Assembly.

“Who appropriated the money, was it spent during the period that the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) Governor said they did not account or was it spent before and if there was appropriation for it, we can now begin to seriously talk about the right places to spend money. Given that if we had spent 10 Billion dollars to try and build rail evacuation of fuel from Tin Can Island and Apapa maybe those people would not have died”

Governor Fashola added that there are serious questions such as was that the priority and if those things were what to have spent the money on even assuming there were appropriation to that effect.