Fuel Scarcity Loom As Ban On 60,000-Litre Trucks Begins Today

SATURDAY March 1, 2025 |TheNewsDESK
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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 reports.

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.

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.”