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5 November 2009
analysis
Abuja — Tafa is immensely popular among drivers of large petrol tankers who stop there to rest for a day or two. But is there danger lurking around the corner?
Auwal Usman usually looks forward to meeting Salamat, his sweetheart of over five years. Although, he is already married with five children in Kano, he still holds Salamat very dearly. He says "owing to the nature of my job, I travel a lot. I convey petroleum tanker loaded with petroleum from Lagos to virtually all the parts of the country. So most of the time, I spend the entire day on the road driving. Since this has its own consequences on the human body, I always park here in Tafa to relax and enjoy the company of my wife, who will cook my favorite meal for me and make sure that I am well refreshed before continuing the journey." Usman spends up to two weeks with Salamat during which he relishes the comfort and warmth of other drivers, who have come to enjoy the same treat from their spouses, before proceeding on their arduous journey.
Similarly, Moses Ajayi, Usman's professional colleague equally shares in the warmth and comfort which Tafa brings to the petrol tanker drivers. His long haulage tanker could be seen parked very precariously close to the ever busy Abuja Kaduna expressway, while he idles around smoking profusely. When asked about the significance of the transit camp to him, he quickly explains that "this place is where we tanker drivers usually rest after several hours of a long and painful journey. For instance, I just returned from Lagos two days ago, with my tanker load of petrol for delivery at Kano. So in order to put body and soul together, I decided to take some rest here before proceeding." But unlike Usman who has a regular spouse in the locality, Ajayi prefers to patronize ladies of easy virtue who abound in the area. In his words, "I don't have any wife here, because; I already have three wives in Ibadan. That is where my family is based but you know that since body no be wood, I have some girls which I patronize to refresh my system, before I continue with my journey."
However, findings by this medium also reveal that while most of the tanker drivers park their vehicles along the road to rest, other drivers are forced to seek solace in the shanty community whenever their trucks break down. According to Ibrahim Saleh who drives one of the Sani brothers' trucks, "it is not all the drivers you see here that come here for enjoyment. Some of them like me are forced to stop here so that we can repair our vehicles which might take days or even weeks, because the mechanics will have to go to the nearest town to get the spare parts. So while that is going on, we take time off to relax and rest."
Welcome to Tafa, a sleepy suburb in Kagarko local government of Kaduna State, which has a reputation of being the convergence point of petrol tankers and trucks from various parts of the country. As you approach Tafa from the Abuja end of the road en route Kaduna, you are confronted by scores of trailers and petrol tankers parked haphazardly by the road side, while their various drivers could be seen having the time of their life in the make shift houses that dot the entire settlement. Then there are the activities of the Gbagyi women who proudly display their yams beside the parked trailers very close to the expressway, in defiance of the impending disaster that might arise from their action. The apparent contest between the tanker drivers and the Gbagy yam settlers for space, has been a constant threat to motorists and commuters who ply the busy road. A commercial bus driver who plies the Abuja and Kaduna route told this medium that "Anyone who is not a stranger to Tafa and its environs will know the menace and the nuisance tanker drivers constitute, though they provide a sort of emergency service to the society due to the importance of fuel. Because of the sheer size of the tankers they drive, these vehicles cannot help but be a problem on the roads. They are the ones who park indiscriminately by the side of the road, taking up a good portion of what constitutes the road," he said.
A motorist who gave his name as Fidelis Onuorah lamented to Daily Trust that "Tafa, like many Nigerian communities, has become ravaged by the greed and insensitivity of man. Tafa is a disaster waiting to happen and it seems we are all helpless. Driving through this place requires you to recite Psalm 23, verse 4: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil", because the petrol tankers have taken over the long stretch on both sides of the Express. The stench that oozes out of the place would repel even the dirtiest animal. The highly inflammable products are parked not too far from the many local restaurants, and the street hawkers, who seem to be totally oblivious of the explosive danger around them."
Pius Ogbeche who describes himself as a regular driver along the road, explained "Other road users are expected to manage whatever the tanker drivers have left for them. With the volume of traffic on this road every day, the roads become virtually impassable. Of course, tanker drivers are not blind. They see all these and yet will still not desist from parking illegally by the roadside."
While sharing Onuorah's concerns, Issa Mohammed, who resides in Kaduna, narrated to this medium on how hell was recently let loose in the area when a kerosene tanker on its way to Kaduna, lost control while trying to avoid a head on collision with one of the stationary tankers parked by the roadside. It fell and burst into flames. " At least five people were confirmed dead, two of them killed by flames inside their homes, and many others were hospitalized with severe burns in the unfortunate event. Several other vehicles parked by the roadside, were also burnt to ashes. Our people are just not concerned about their safety and to make matters worse, the government seems to be ignoring the place."
For Andrew Elegbeleye, the menace of petrol tankers is not only limited to Tafa, in Kaduna state, 'they are all over Nigeria. The one at Ogere, between Lagos and Ibadan, along the expressway is even worse. Petrol tankers park their vehicles carelessly on the road ,without giving any consideration for other road users. It is so sad especially when one considers the fact that the Ogun State government had actually built an ultra modern park for these people, who obviously refused to use the facilities, but preferred to be a nuisance to the society at large and a grave danger to the environment. I was told these truck drivers usually blackmail the government with the threat of a debilitating strike, if they were ever touched or asked to move. What nonsense is this?" he asked rhetorically.
But while drivers and other road users expressed fear and concern about their safety, for Salamat and other traders who thronged the settlement on a daily basis, the chaos offers them the opportunity to make brisk business. According to Salamat who operates a local restaurant in Tafa, "This place is good and everybody is peace loving. We sell food, cigarettes and drinks to drivers who park here to relax before they continue their journey." Also speaking to Daily Trust, Bala Inuwa, who resides in Tafa describes it as a fun place to be. According to him, "you need to come here during weekends beginning from Friday night, and see how this place comes alive. We have a local club and a DJ where people enjoy themselves and have fun.
The tanker drivers add life to this place and they are always around. As some of them are leaving, others are arriving, so the fun is endless." While stating further that Tafa and the tanker drivers have a history that is as old as twenty years, the settlement serves as a kind of meeting place for the drivers who, apart from relaxing, find time to service their lorries and carry out general repairs before proceeding with their journey.
Investigation by this medium also reveals that apart from local restaurants bursting with activities, Tafa is also a small commercial settlement as residents eke out living by selling commodities such as kola nuts, yams, cigarettes, local drinks and sugar cane.
While suggesting a way out of the problem, Bello Sadiq, a concerned driver explains "The government should begin to think seriously about implementing whatever plans it has on the rail project. Rather than these vehicles taking over the roads due to their size and numerical strength, it makes a lot of sense if their cargo is transported by rail. With that, the volume of these vehicles on the road will definitely decrease. It would also help if refineries in the country are made to work so that dependence on imported petrol will greatly reduce. The companies that own the oil tankers would do well to provide facilities for these tanker drivers to park, and hotels to stay at, while the drivers themselves should be told that holding everyone to ransom, may not be the only way to approach every problem."
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