The Federal Government has declared that, as of March 1, 2025, fuel tankers with a capacity of more than 60,000 litres will not be allowed to travel on Nigerian roadways.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has taken this decision to curb the rising frequency of traffic accidents involving large, heavy-duty petroleum tankers.
According to Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure at NMDPRA, trucks transporting more than 60,000 litres of hydrocarbons will not be allowed to load at any depot as of March 1.
Additionally, trucks that can hold more than 45,000 litres will not be allowed to load petroleum products by the fourth quarter of 2025.
Key stakeholders, including the Department of State Services (DSS), Federal Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), collaborated to develop this policy change. Improving the safety of petroleum product transportation throughout Nigeria is the shared objective.
Concerns over the quality of fuel in use have also been addressed by the NMDPRA, which has denied recent allegations as baseless and guaranteed that all imported and domestically refined petroleum products adhere to stringent regulatory requirements before being put on the market.
