The National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), has expressed fear over the Federal Government’s plan to ban 60,000 litres capacity tankers, following the rising cases of accidents involving fuel tankers.
NARTO President, Yusuf Othman in an interview with Newsmen in Abuja on today, said such a move would cause a loss of N300b worth of investments by the tanker owners.
Reports have indicated that the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) is considering placing a ban on 60,000 litres capacity petroleum tankers, due to incessant accidents/deaths involving them in the country.
The NMDPRA had proposed a restriction of petroleum tankers capacity to a maximum of 45,000 litres to reduce accidents ‘cases, explosion and fatalities.
Othman, however, said the cause of the accidents was not the usage of 60,000 litres tanker capacity, but could be attributed to the condition of the roads, condition of the vehicles and the drivers.
He said that 2,000 trucks with 60,000 litres capacity worth N150m each, amounting to N300b investments were being involved in the transportation of petroleum products nationwide.
