493 Lives Lost! Nigeria Debates Petrol Truck Restrictions

At cross-purposes over the proposition forbidding the operation of 60,000-litre petroleum trucks on federal highways, the Nigerian government and the National Association of Road Transport Owners were.

At a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority proposed a banning of 60,000-litre-capacity trucks to mitigate the incessant tanker explosions that have killed 493 people in three years.

Consequently, the Nigerian government intends to restrict the tankers to a maximum of 45,000 litres in an effort to ensure that petroleum tanker accidents do not claim any lives in the first place.

Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, at the Wednesday stakeholders meeting, disclosed the above proposal.

“The carnage from the petroleum truck explosion has increased from seven recorded in 2022 to 24 deaths in 2023, while in 2024, 341 died; while 2025 is only two months old, it has already hit 121,” Ahmed said.

“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.

“Determination of an appropriate truck carrying capacity of (60,000 litres versus 45,000 litres) given the negative impact on the roads,” he noted.

He said safety protocols must be followed by downstream operators in order to curb the incessant explosions of tankers.

“No operators should conduct business in contravention of laid down protocols and safety requirements,” he asserted.

In his response, the president of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman revealed the ban of petroleum trucks of 60,000 litres capacity would possibly lead to the loss of investment in excess of N300 billion.

“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 sound engine at an average cost of N150m.

“By our estimation, we have 2,000 of them. We are talking about N300 billion investments, some of which were financed by banks and other lenders,” he bluntly stated.

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