The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has announced a ban on 60,000-litre fuel tankers from operating on Nigerian roads, effective March 1, 2025, to mitigate truck-in-transit incidents, some of which had resulted in infernos and several deaths.
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The agency also explained that no truck with over 45,000 litres in capacity will be allowed to load products by the fourth quarter of 2025.
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NMDPRA Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Ogbugo Ukoha, told journalists in Abuja 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.
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Reportedly, between 2010 and 2025, over 2,500 truck accidents 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.
While stakeholders had agreed in 2020 to cap truck loads at 45,000 litres, NMDPRA said tankers exceeding 60,000 litres have continued to ply the roads, worsening the accident crisis.
The authority 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.
“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,” Ukoha said.
