Fuel scarcity loom as ban on 60,000-litre trucks begins today
There are fears of job losses and scarcity of premium motor spirit as the ban on 60,000-litre fuel takes effect today, Weekend Trust can report. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) penultimate Wednesday announced a ban on 60,000-litre fuel tankers from operating on Nigerian roads, effective March 1, 2025. The ban is […]
There are fears of job losses and scarcity of premium motor spirit as the ban on 60,000-litre fuel takes effect today, Weekend Trust can report.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) penultimate Wednesday announced a ban on 60,000-litre fuel tankers from operating on Nigerian roads, effective March 1, 2025.
The ban is to mitigate truck-in-transit incidents, some of which had resulted in infernos and several deaths.
The agency also explained that no truck with over 45,000 litres capacity will be allowed to load products by the fourth quarter of 2025.
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The National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), however, expressed fear over the Federal Government’s plan to ban 60,000 litres capacity tankers, saying investments in 60,000-litre trucks worth over N300bn might go down the drain.
Ahead of the implementation starting today, findings by our correspondent indicate that owners of the trucks are apprehensive that the ban might trigger scarcity of PMS.
Executive Secretary of NARTO, Aloga Ogbogo, in a chat with our correspondent, said the operators were waiting to see how the implementation would go, adding, “We don’t have any comment for now.”
But some NARTO members who spoke with our correspondent decried the ban, saying the truck drivers are not the only cause of accidents on the road.
A member of NARTO who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said “To me, this is not good for investors who have put in their money on these trucks. What was the NMDPRA thinking before approving this? You allowed people bring in the trucks, only to say you are banning it.”
Mixed reactions trail ban
Alhassan Gambo, a tanker driver who claimed to have spent more than 11 years plying the roads from Kano to Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri and many other places, said the ban may not create a scarcity but it will result to a hike in the price of petroleum and other related commodities.
He explained that the ban will ensure reduction in quantity taken but still the cost of transportation remains the same hence, the possibility of hike in price.
“The issue of scarcity may not be feasible due to the ban, but an increase in price is inevitable,” he said.
Another tanker driver, Usman Small, said there is going to be scarcity of petroleum and other allied products if the ban becomes effective. According to him, necessity was behind the construction of the 60, 000 litres carrier and banning it means reduction in supply, which can result to scarcity.
In Borno, Alhaji Mustapha Zarma, owner of petrol stations in Maiduguri, said the issue is not about the capacity of fuel the tankers are carrying but the road worthiness of the vehicles and the condition of roads they ply, which usually cause accidents.
The manager of A.A. Kankani filling station in Dutse, Jigawa State, Ali Shuaibu, stated that banning the 60,000 litre trucks would not cause scarcity of the product.
Some owners of filling stations in Yobe State sought immediate actions from the relevant authorities and federal government to rehabilitate dilapidated roads to tackle the issue of truck-in-transit incidents in the country.
Contributions from Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos), Ibrahim Musa Giginyu (Kano), Hamisu Kabiru Matazu, Ali Rabiu Ali (Dutse), Habibu Idris Gimba (Damaturu) & Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin)