Wetin be di alternative as goment ban heavy duty petrol tankers from Nigeria roads
Wia dis foto come from, NNPC/X
Di Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) don announce say from March 1, 2025, all heavy duty petrol tankers of 60,000 litres and above go dey banned from loading for any depot and from plying Nigeria roads.
Di decision, according Ogbugo Ukoha, one oga for NMDPRA, na sake of several tragic incidents of petrol tanker explosions wey don happen for Nigeria recently.
"Beginning 1 March, we no go allow trucks wit capacity wey pass 60,000 litres to load for any loading depot for petroleum depots. By Q4 of 2024 we go also preclude trucks wit capacity wey pass 45,000 liters from loading or transporting products," oga Ukoha tell tori pipo during one press conference on Wednesday.
E tok say dis measure na one out of ten wey di regulators agree to implement to stop di high rate of road incidents involving petrol tankers.
Wetin be di alternative?
Di most effective and safest method of transporting petroleum products na thru di pipelines, but vandalization don dabaru Nigeria pipeline structure, Yakubu Dimka, one oga for di Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) tell BBC Pidgin for phone interview on Thursday.
"As two of di goment refineries - Warri and Port Harcourt - don dey work, di pipelines for be di easiest alternative to do dis. Usually, na to pump fuel from Port Harcourt to Aba to Enugu to Makurdi to Yola."
"Also if di Kaduna refinery come on stream, na to pump Kaduna to Kano to Gombe to Gusau to Maiduguri. Dis na how di pipeline structre bin dey. Hopefully if security improve, goment go fit work on di pipelines to bring dem bak to life," oga Dimka tok.
In di meantime, Dimka tok say dem wey be stakeholders go still meet to discuss di short term alternatives if di NMDPRA go ahead to ban 60,000 liter tankers.
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
E explain say dem fit dey use tankers of 33,000 to 45,000 capacity but e go mean more costs for di marketers bicos one tanker go need two trips to deliver di quantity of products wey one bigger tanker go do once.
Brief background
For Nigeria, heavy duty tankers na di primary source of transporting petroleum products across different locations, and over di years e don lead to plenty accidents wia pipo die and property destroyed.
Farouk Ahmed, di oga kpatakpata of NMDPRA tell tori pipo say dis incidents and loss of lifes no dey acceptable.
"In 2024, we bin get 341 fatalities (from accidents involving petrol tankers), and today - from January to now - we don get ova 121 fatalities, and e dey of great concern to all of us," oga Ahmed tok.
According to di authorities, na all stakeholders for di petroleum sector agree to dis measure. Dem include di National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), and di the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), among others.
Timeline of recent petrol tanker accidents
Wia dis foto come from, NemaNigeria/X
- January 26, 2025 - Petrol tanker explode along di Enugwu-Onitsha expressway; more dan 18 pipo die
- January 19, 2025 - Petrol tanker bin fall an d explode as pipo gather to scoop fuel, along Dikko Junction, Gurara local goment area of Niger. Official figure of pipo wey die na 86, but locals say di number fit pass like dat.
- October 16, 2024 - Petrol tanker explosion happen for Majiya town, Taura Local goment Area for Jigawa State, killing 153 pipo and about 100 pipo injure.
- September 8, 2024 - Petrol tanker fall and explode for Lapai-Agaie local goment area of Niger State. About 61 pipo die.
- July 23, 2023 - Petrol explosion kill about 10 pipo for Ore, Odigbo Local Goment Area of Ondo State.
