February 19, 2025
Following the rising incidents of tanker accidents that have resulted to deaths and the destruction of properties, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, is set to issue ban on petroleum products tankers with a 60,000-litre capacity.
The Federal Government, disclosed on Wednesday, the plans to ban 60,000- and 45,000-litre capacity a position that may lead to tanker shortage.
Although most tankers hauling petroleum products across the country are around 45,000 litres, the NMDPRA said such capacity would be outlawed to curb insisant fuel tankers fall.
With very limited pipelines, Nigeria relies on tankers to haul petroleum products across the country, a development that has remained a menace to road infrastructure and the lives of citizens.
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NMDPRA Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Ogbugo Ukoha, said that the action on the 60,000-litre capacity would take effect from March 1, 2025, while the 45,000-litre capacity would be allowed to load products until the fourth quarter of 2025.
It is on record that, between 2010 and 2025, over 2,500 truck accidents have claimed more than 3,500 lives in Nigeria, with the deadliest incident occurring in Jigawa in 2024, where an overturned fuel tanker exploded, killing dozens and leaving a scarred mass grave and property destroyed.
According to NMDPRA, while stakeholders had agreed in 2020 to cap truck loads at 45,000 litres, tankers exceeding 60,000 litres have continued to ply the roads, worsening the road infrastructure and causing accidents.
NMDPRA, said there would be a phased approach, beginning with the 60,000-litre ban and gradually scaling down to 45,000 litres by the fourth quarter of 2025.
Ukoha, stated that “We cannot fold our hands and wait for pipelines or railways to become viable alternatives,” the official stressed. “Every life lost is one too many. This is the work we must do, and we will not back down.”
