Nigerians Tackle Onanuga Over ‘Lie’ CNG Cylinder ‘Recovered Intact’ After Nyanya Explosion
Nigerians have rejected a claim by President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, that a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cylinder was “recovered intact” from Wednesday’s truck explosion in the Nyanya area of Abuja.
The explosion occurred at about 6:58 p.m. on Wednesday when a Dangote truck loaded with cement lost control and crashed into vehicles trapped in traffic at Karu Bridge, along the Abuja-Keffi Road.
According to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, the impact caused the explosion and fire that engulfed at least 30 vehicles and killed six people.
Onanuga, in a tweet on Thursday, refuted reports that a CNG cylinder explosion was responsible for the fire.
“Here is the CNG cylinder in the cement truck that ran into a petrol tanker that exploded in Karu, Abuja, on Wednesday night. Contrary to earlier reports, the CNG cylinder was recovered intact. It did not explode. And it was not the cause of the tragic explosion,” the presidential aide wrote.
However, his claim drew criticism from Nigerians who asked whether all the cylinders from the truck were recovered intact.
The social media users argued that CNG-powered trucks typically carry multiple cylinders.
@FEmmanuel29931 asked Onanuga, “Can you also show us the remaining cylinders, abi nah only one trailer dey carry? Oga you dey use CNG or your oga dey use CNG? Leaders practice what they preach and live by example.”
Another user, @Joeynext, criticised Onanuga’s focus on CNG rather than human lives lost in the incident: “People died but it’s marketing CNG that concerns you, papa. Nawa o!”
@akinbobola further argued, “But Sir, trucks usually have multiple cylinders – as many as 16 on some trucks.”
Some of the social media users asked if government officials also use CNG-powered vehicles.
@4evamaik wrote, “How many CNG-powered vehicles does Bayo have? If the govt is serious, they should make CNG-powered cars the official vehicles for all politicians, elected & appointed offices. That will be a good way to start.”
Earlier, the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG) issued a statement condoling the families of those killed in the accident.
Pi-CNG urged the public to await the outcome of an investigation, noting that preliminary reports indicate a brake failure from one of the trucks.
“The PCNG Initiative remains committed to promoting the safe and sustainable use of CNG as a cleaner energy alternative. We will continue to work closely with relevant authorities, including the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Fire Service, and other stakeholders, to ensure that safety standards are upheld and incidents like this are prevented in the future.
“We commend the swift response of the emergency responders, including FEMA, the Nigeria Police Force, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who are on the ground working tirelessly to rescue victims and manage the situation” the statement read.
Nigerians Tackle Onanuga Over ‘Lie’ CNG Cylinder ‘Recovered Intact’ After Nyanya Explosion is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
