By Uche Amunike
The Federal Government has placed a ban on trucks over 60 Litres of hydrocarbon products from loading at depots and traveling along federal roads, effective March 1, 2025.
They further announced that no truck with petroleum products above 45,000 litres will be allowed to load from the depots, effective from the 4th quarter of 2025.
These announcements were made by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) Executive Director, Distributions System, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha, during a briefing, Wednesday, in Abuja.
According to him, the announcements came up after the meeting held by the authority, with stakeholders in the industry as a result of the recurring accidents and explosions experienced in recent times, due to overloaded petroleum products. The death toll from tanker accidents stand at 493 persons in the past three years
According to the President of the National Association of Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, the potential ban of fuel tankers will lead to a potential loss of over N300 billion investment. He complained that over 2000 trucks would be abandoned and an investment of over N150m for each truck will be lost.
However, the regulatory authority, after announcing the ban at the end of the stakeholders meeting on Wednesday, stated that it has decided to breakdown and establish timelines for about 10 resolutions which are targeted to address the significant increase in related transit incidents and fatalities.
The NMDPRA boss confirmed that the stakeholders that agreed at the meeting were the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Standard Organization of Nigeria, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, and Directorate of State Services, among others.
He further stated: ‘Beginning from March 1, 2025, trucks with a capacity in excess of 60,000 litres will not be allowed to load in any loading depot of petroleum products.’
‘Also by the fourth quarter, we will also preclude the loading of transportation of petroleum products of any truck in excess of 45,000 litres. That is the breaking news for today.’
According to him, the ban is in segments in order to allow investors time to adjust to the new directive, as truck owners need time to redesign the trucks and redirect their funding.
His words: ‘Historically, we have seen an increase in the tanking capacity, the truck capacities moving from about 27,000 to 33,000 to 45,000. And I recall that the records show that in 2020, there was a stakeholder meeting where it was determined that 45,000 should be the cap.’
‘The Ministry of Works also has made interventions because the impact on the roads is a reality. Our study of the recent fatalities also suggests that trucks in excess of 60,000 litres have contributed to this. But at the same time, as a regulator, when you would like to begin to enforce, you also have to balance a lot of considerations.’
‘Yes, it will have an impact on the investment and all, but we are having conversations to give everybody comfort as to, and that is why we have staggered the implementation of even the 45,000 plus to Q4 so that it gives room for all stakeholders. It has to be a win-win for everybody.’
