Nigeria might face a tanker scarcity because the Federal Authorities on Wednesday disclosed plans to ban 60,000- and 45,000-litre capability vehicles.
Whereas most tankers hauling petroleum merchandise throughout the nation are round 45,000 litres, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) mentioned such capability could be outlawed.
Coming amidst rising tanker accidents which were fueling deaths and the destruction of properties, NMDPRA issued a direct ban on petroleum merchandise tankers with a 60,000-litre capability.
Within the absence of pipelines, Nigeria depends on tankers to haul petroleum merchandise throughout the nation, a growth that has remained a menace to highway infrastructure and the lives of residents.
NMDPRA Govt Director, Distribution Programs, Ogbugo Ukoha, informed journalists in Abuja that the motion on the 60,000-litre capability would take impact from March 1, 2025, whereas the 45,000-litre capability could be allowed to load merchandise till the fourth quarter of 2025.
Reportedly, between 2010 and 2025, over 2,500 truck accidents claimed greater than 3,500 lives in Nigeria, with the deadliest incident occurring in Jigawa in 2024, the place an overturned gasoline tanker exploded, killing dozens and leaving a scarred mass grave.
Whereas stakeholders had agreed in 2020 to cap truck masses at 45,000 litres, NMDPRA mentioned tankers exceeding 60,000 litres have continued to ply the roads, worsening the accident disaster.
The authority mentioned there could be a phased strategy, starting with the 60,000-litre ban and regularly scaling right down to 45,000 litres by the fourth quarter of 2025.
“We can not fold our arms and anticipate pipelines or railways to turn out to be viable alternate options,” the official burdened. “Each life misplaced is one too many. That is the work we should do, and we won’t again down,” Ukoha mentioned.
