The National President of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman and the Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, have said the ban on trucks carrying over 60,000 litres of fuel from March 1, will save lives.
They noted that many lives had been lost and property estimated at over millions of naira destroyed as a result of accidents involving trucks carrying over 60,000 litres of fuel.
They spoke in separate interviews with Sunday Telegraph yesterday.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had announced that from March 1, 2025, trucks carrying over 60,000 litres of hydrocarbon products would be banned from loading at depots.
Executive Director, Distribution System, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, (NMDPRA), Ogbugo Ukoha, had during a briefing in Abuja, announced that from March 1, 2025, there would be a ban on trucks carrying over 60,000 litres of hydrocarbon products from loading from depots.
Ukoha said: “Beginning 1st March, trucks with capacity in excess of 60,000 litres will not be allowed to load in any loading depot of petroleum products.
“By Q4 2025, 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. “That from the Fourth Quarter of 2025, no truck carrying more than 45,000 litres of petroleum products shall be allowed to load from the depots.”
The announcement was a fallout of a consensus decision by stakeholders during a meeting with NMDPRA.
The meeting was also attended by the leadership or representatives of the Department of State Services (DSS); Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN); Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON); Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA); Federal Fire Service; Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG); Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) among others.
Othman said while the ban on trucks carrying over 60,000 litres of fuel was a welcome development, the association was working on modalities to reduce investors’ losses, more-so with regard to ban on trucks carrying between 45,000 litres and 60,000 litres of fuel.
“We received it (the ban) in good faith, not minding the implication of the investment to our members. But at the same time, we are trying to see the best way to do it without creating any chaos. Naturally, since it involves the issue of safety, we are supposed to key in. But we look at the best way to bring succour also to the owners of the vehicles because they are private investments and we are to ensure that fuel is available across the country. So, if there is any measure to ensure that safety is improved, we will key in.
“But the investment of the owners of the vehicles should be considered. Most of them are private investments financed by banks and other financial institutions. So, what will happen to them? We will look at the situation whether it will involve that the fabricators can reduce the sizes of the vehicles or is there any alternative measure in place.
“The ban is not going to be in effect until March. There are two instructions. Any truck above 60,000 litres will not be loaded from March 1. Any truck above 45,000 and to 60,000 will stop loading on October 1. So, we have six months down the line.
“The ban of those trucks loading above 60,000 litres, we are 100 per cent in support. Any truck above 60,000, we will see to curtail all these excesses.”
Ukadike said: “It was a resolution that took almost one good month and then, they set up a second committee, which they all resolved that all tankers having more than 60,000 litres should not ply the road from March 1, so that they will be able to look at the road and also see the maintenance process. It is also trite to note that the capacity of most of our roads do not match heavy duty vehicles plying them and that was not considered in building those roads.
“And once most of them have climbed the roads two or three times, there will be potholes and navigation of these trucks, having this kind of product, 60,000 litres, is also going to affect the truck and the driver. So it is not easy. The ban is not definite. I think with time, when FERMA and other agencies of the Federal Government work on the roads, those trucks will also be called back.
“For us, the independent marketers, it is a little bit setback on our business, but the lives and property of Nigerians are most important. And we are also looking at it from a deficit angle, in terms of our progressive businesses. But for humanity’s sake, we also welcome it.”
