Our society is progressively shedding the power to differentiate between hazard and alternative. What ought to ordinarily make us run for our lives has, sadly, develop into a possibility for some individuals to danger every little thing in pursuit of fast acquire. The tragic petrol tanker explosion and fireplace incident at Oluku Market, Benin City, Edo State, on October 15, 2026, is a painful reminder of this disturbing actuality.
The incident, reportedly triggered when a petroleum tanker fell close to the busy market, ought to compel us to replicate deeply on our angle in direction of security, human life and the determined wrestle for survival in our society. The query we should ask ourselves is that this: Why ought to a catastrophe develop into a possibility to some individuals?
When a petroleum tanker falls and its contents start to spill, the pure response must be to maneuver away from the scene as shortly as attainable. Yet, in our society at the moment, some individuals see such a harmful scenario as a possibility to gather gas, ignoring the potential for an explosion that would value them their lives.
Should we name it ignorance, greed, desperation or a mix of all three? Whatever the reason, the implications may be devastating.
The painful fact is that we appear to have forgotten the teachings of earlier tragedies, together with the Jesse gas explosion in Delta State a few years in the past. Such incidents ought to have taught us that spilled petrol will not be a present, and a fallen tanker will not be a possibility to develop into rich. It is a severe hazard that calls for fast warning.
Unfortunately, the cruel financial realities dealing with many Nigerians have made survival more and more tough. Poverty, unemployment and the rising value of residing have pushed many individuals into determined conditions. However, no financial hardship ought to make us gamble with our lives. What is the worth of amassing just a few litres of gas if the value might be one’s life?
Idris Rufai,
