Poverty, Desperation Causes Of Higher Death Toll In Jigawa Tanker Explosion

Adamu Lawan told Al Jazeera that he and three others were sitting on the side of the road near the gate of the Adams Science Tahfizul Quran Academy, just 15 metres from the accident site, when they saw the moving truck swerve and overturn on Tuesday evening.

“The fuel was emptied into the drain and people came in droves to collect it,” he said, leading to the explosion and fire that lead to death of over 170 persons so far which have been buried in mass grave.

Lawan said mounting economic problems were “partly” responsible for people taking risks to deal with spilled fuel.

For example, residents of the city would not have responded to previous tanker accidents like this one, he said. “But now people are struggling and looking for possible ways to get help,” he said.

The tragedy comes at a time of economic crisis in Nigeria, when petrol has become a precious and expensive commodity for many. The price of petrol has skyrocketed since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office last May and removed fuel subsidies, rising from about 175 naira ($0.1) per litre to over 1,000 naira ($0.6).

At the same time, inflation has been above 30 percent for months, reaching a nearly three-decade high of 34.19 percent in June before declining slightly to 32.7 percent in September.

According to the World Bank, 56 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line.