…want ban on importation of articulated vehicles over 10 years old
The Major Oil Marketers of Nigeria (MOMAN) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) have urged the federal government to consider provision of soft loans for truck renewal, using similar template as applicable to pharmaceutical companies and other sectors of the economy at the peak of COVID -19”.
As part of measures to curb incessant articulated vehicle crashes on the Nigerian Roads, the association have also urged the federal government to ban articulated vehicles that are over 10 years of age.
The associations made the call during a stakeholders meeting held at the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) national headquarters in Abuja, on Monday to review possible ways of reducing frequent cases of road crashes involving petroleum tankers and trucks.
Present at the meeting were Boboye Oyeyemi, corps marshal of FRSC, who represented Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation; Clement Isong and Aloga Ogbogo, executive secretaries of MOMAN and NARTO respectively.
According to a statement issued by Bisi Kazeem, the corps public education officer, the meeting resulted in some resolutions aimed at tackling the menace of petroleum tanker crashes in the country.
Kazeem noted in the statement that the groups recommended that the SGF should secure a presidential directive “for urgent intervention in the provision of soft loans for truck renewal, using similar template as applicable to pharmaceutical companies and other sectors of the economy at the peak of COVID -19”.
The groups also recommended the need for NNPC to reactivate failed and vandalized pipelines in the country to reduce the burden on the transportation of petroleum products by road.
Kazeem stated further in the statement that the meeting resolved that enforcement of all safety standards including anti-skid, anti-rollover and anti-spill (safety valves) be prioritized within a given time frame as outlined in the similar communiqué reached in 2018.
He added that government will consider issuing directives on enforcement of the 10-year policy on importation of trucks to reduce ageing vehicles which may cause accidents.
“Members further called for a timeline to be set for the enforcement of the maximum load capacity of 45,000 litres of petroleum products by trucks operating from the Tank Farms across the country,” the statement reads. Government to consider issuing directives on enforcement of the 10-year policy on importation of trucks, so that any articulated vehicle that is beyond 10 years of age should not be allowed into the country”, the statement stated.
