Koko Maxwella 
NOA DG, Lanre Issa-Onilu
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has blamed negligence and the breakdown of community values for the recent fuel tanker explosion in Niger State, which claimed multiple lives.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, Issa-Onilu described the tragedy as both “frustrating and preventable.”
“It’s very frustrating, but we saw it coming,” he said. “After the Dikko explosion earlier this year, the President directed us to embark on a nationwide sensitisation campaign.”
According to him, the agency has since worked with traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and security agencies to raise awareness about the dangers of unsafe practices around fuel tankers and crash scenes.
However, Issa-Onilu noted that awareness alone has not changed behaviour.
“People already know the risks but still ignore them,” he said. “This reflects a breakdown of leadership at the community level. The entire community was involved in this particular incident.”
The NOA chief stressed the need for renewed community responsibility and local enforcement of safety measures, warning that similar tragedies will persist unless Nigerians collectively uphold public safety and civic values.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Korede Abdullah 