NMDPRA moves to curb petrol tanker accidents, explosions
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has announced new regulations regarding petrol tanker capacity.
Starting March 1, 2025, no truck with a capacity exceeding 60,000 liters will be permitted to load at any depot across the country. Additionally, by the fourth quarter of 2025, trucks with capacities over 45,000 liters will also be banned from loading products.
This decision follows a meeting with key stakeholders and aims to address the ongoing issues of tanker accidents and explosions, which have resulted in numerous fatalities in the country. In January 2025 alone, over 100 lives were lost, and millions of naira worth of property was destroyed due to petrol tanker explosions.
Notably, on January 18, 2025, a petrol tanker explosion at Dikko Junction on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway in Niger State killed at least 98 people. The explosion occurred when residents attempted to scoop fuel from the damaged tanker. Another explosion on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway just a week later resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people, after the tanker, suffering from brake failure, overturned and exploded.
In response to these tragic incidents, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, revealed that President Bola Tinubu would form a high-level committee to investigate the repeated tanker explosions and recommend safety measures to prevent further tragedies. The committee will include representatives from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), tanker driver associations, and other stakeholders.
The Minister also highlighted plans for public awareness campaigns focusing on the safe transportation of fuel, road safety, and the dangers of scooping spilled fuel.
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