What is the Alternative as the Government Bans Heavy-Duty Petrol Tankers from Nigerian Roads?
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has announced that, starting from March 1, 2025, all heavy-duty petrol tankers with a capacity of 60,000 litres and above will be banned from loading at any depot and from operating on Nigerian roads.
According to Ogbugo Ukoha, an executive at NMDPRA, this decision is due to the recent tragic incidents involving petrol tanker explosions across Nigeria.
"Starting from March 1, we will not allow trucks with a capacity exceeding 60,000 litres to load at any petroleum depot. By the fourth quarter of 2024, we will also prohibit trucks with a capacity above 45,000 litres from loading or transporting petroleum products," Mr. Ukoha stated during a press conference on Wednesday.
He explained that this measure is one of ten regulatory steps agreed upon to curb the high rate of road accidents involving petrol tankers.
What is the Alternative?
The most effective and safest method of transporting petroleum products is through pipelines. However, vandalism has severely disrupted Nigeria’s pipeline infrastructure, according to Yakubu Dimka, an official of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN). He disclosed this in a phone interview with BBC Pidgin on Thursday.
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