IPMAN To Stop Petrol Tankers From Loading Beyond 45,000 Litres By October 1 

August 2, 2025

In a bid to check incessant petrol tanker accidents leading to loss of life and damage to roads, the western zone Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said petrol tankers will not be allowed to load beyond 45,000 litres of the product from October 1.

The Chairman of the zone, Chief Oyewole Akanni, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan yesterday. He said that the measure was adopted in a joint meeting involving IPMAN, the government and other stakeholders, to reduce the cases of petroleum tanker accidents.

The stakeholders include the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and oil marketers. He said.

Akanni stated that “Before now, some tankers carried up to 90,000 or 60,000 litres, which was dangerous.

“Those big tankers damage our roads, as the trucks are made to carry far more than they were designed for, and when overloaded, they become unstable and fall, causing accidents,” he said.

He said the government had also mandated all tankers to install safety covers that prevent spillage in the event of a crash. “With these covers, even if a tanker falls, fuel won’t spill, except if the tank is punctured,”

“With these covers, even if a tanker falls, fuel won’t spill, except if the tank is punctured,” he said.

He, however, lamented the activities of vandals, who deliberately puncture fallen tankers to steal fuel, describing it as a major challenge. The IPMAN chairman also said PTD discovered that most accidents occurred at night due to fatigue.

“We have, therefore, instructed drivers not to drive at night; once it is 7:00 p.m., they must park and continue their journey the following day by 7:00 a.m, but some still disobey this directive,” he said.