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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Federal Government, FG, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, has said that it might impose a ban on trucks with 60,000-litre capacity, preventing them from operating on federal highways.

This follows the increasing number of deaths resulting from petrol tanker accidents, which has led to the death of 493 persons in three years.

The government, in a proposal to stakeholders, wants tankers restricted to a maximum of 45,000 litres.

It said this ban is part of a potential recommendation aimed at reducing fatalities from petroleum tanker accidents to zero.

Chief Executive Officer, NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ engagement on the recurrence of road tanker accidents held at its headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting sought to provide lasting solutions to the frequent accidents involving petroleum tankers, which have resulted in loss of lives and property.

In his address, Ahmed said the public was seeking intervention to protect lives and properties as the government recorded 493 deaths from petroleum truck-related accidents from 2022 to date.

According to him, the carnage from the petroleum truck explosion has been on the increase from seven recorded in 2022 to 24 deaths in 2023, while 341 died in 2024; the carnage rate has already hit 121 in 2025, which is only two months from its beginning.

Ahmed, who described the rising number of accidents and fatalities as unacceptable, said urgent steps were needed to ensure safety in the transportation of petroleum products across the country.

He said, “We are here today to discuss the recent trend in road tanker accidents and the resultant fatalities and other consequences. The public is watching helplessly and looking forward to intervention to protect lives and properties.

“In the year 2022, four road tanker accidents were recorded that led to 7 fatalities and 3 injuries. The number of incidents decreased in the year 2023 to two, resulting in 24 fatalities and five injuries. By the year 2024, the number of accidents increased to 11 incidents leading to 341 fatalities and 124 injuries.

“This year to date, we have already recorded five road tanker accidents leading to 121 fatalities and 79 injuries. These incidents are unnecessary and unacceptable. They must be prevented and brought down to zero.”

Ahmed said the incidents were unnecessary and unacceptable since the authority had already put preventive measures in place

He said the measures include, “determination of an appropriate truck carrying capacity of (60,000 litres versus 45,000 litres) given the negative impact on the roads.”

He also noted that some of the measures put in place to prevent such accidents include Minimum Industry Safety Training for Downstream Operators, which includes training and retraining of drivers, motor boys, and all personnel involved in downstream operations.

He said there has been the mandatory installation of anti-spill safety valves on all petroleum product tanker trucks.

Ahmed also said there should be the implementation of safe-to-load initiatives, “Colour coding and branding of all tank trucks. Spot checks by FRSC on fatigued drivers and those under the influence. Broadcast post-crash emergency numbers and first responders to cordon off accident sites. Enlightenment and sensitization of the public about the dangers of scooping the volatile hydrocarbons at accident sites. Regular meetings with stakeholders. Regulating route management by designating routes and commuting times.”

The NMDPRA boss recalled that the requirements were arrived at by the industry collectively, pursuant to learnings from previous accidents and safety studies conducted to ensure that the business of energy provision and distribution is conducted safely and securely.

He stressed that it is, therefore, unacceptable for any operator to conduct business in contravention of established protocols and safety requirements.

He said it was the contraventions, coupled with the poor conditions of the transportation infrastructure that are leading to unnecessary accidents and unfortunate loss of lives and properties.

“It is therefore unacceptable for any operator to conduct business in contravention of established protocols and safety requirements. It is these contraventions, coupled with the poor conditions of our transportation infrastructure that are leading to unnecessary accidents and unfortunate loss of lives and properties.

“The fact that these accidents keep recurring is indicative of non-compliance by the industry with the established safety measures or that the measures are defective. Consequently, we demand that all parties should ensure strict compliance with the established safety requirements.

“In our deliberations today, we should examine the defects that are observed in these safety provisions and agree on necessary actions to close those gaps.

According to him, the fact that these accidents keep recurring is indicative of noncompliance by the industry with the established safety measures or that the measures are defective.

However, opposing the potential ban on 60,000-litre capacity tankers, the President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, said such a move would lead to a potential loss of over N300bn investment.

Othman explained that there are currently about 2,000 trucks with 60,000 litres capacity involved in the transportation of petroleum products with each costing over N150m.

He stated, “We are saddened by these occurrences and we believe measures need to be taken to avoid future occurrences. But, in doing that, we need to avoid being sentimental in making certain decisions so that we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I want to remind everybody here that transporters are investors and these investments are huge. Any truck that loads 60,000 litres must be a truck with a strong and sound engine at an average cost of N150m. By our estimation, we have 2,000 of them. We are talking about N300bn investments, some of which were financed by banks and other lenders.”

“We believe that necessary measures should be in place that are going to stop the occurrences. But in doing that, we need to be careful and avoid being sentimental in taking certain positions on this issue.”

He sought government intervention for the improvement of the condition of the highways. He said there is a strong correlation between the condition of the roads and accidents.

He urged the public to always avoid petroleum products laden trucks because they are highly inflammable.