Tanker accidents claim 555 lives in five years

• FRSC intensifies safety measures

By Theodore Opara

Tanker-related road crashes have claimed at least 555 lives across Nigeria between 2020 and early 2025, highlighting the devastating human cost of articulated vehicle accidents despite ongoing efforts to improve road safety.

The figures were contained in a statement by Osondu Ohaeri, Deputy Corps Commander and Corps Public Education Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who said the Corps had intensified regulatory and enforcement measures to reduce tanker and trailer crashes nationwide.

According to the statement, tanker and trailer operations remain among the highest-risk segments of Nigeria’s road transport system, with crashes often resulting in fuel explosions, multiple fatalities, destruction of property and disruption of economic activities.

Ohaeri said the FRSC’s Safe-to-Load Programme, introduced in 2015, has become a key intervention in addressing the menace by ensuring that only roadworthy tankers and qualified drivers transport petroleum products and other heavy cargo.

He disclosed that compliance with the mandatory Class G driver’s licence among tanker drivers increased from 58.2 per cent in 2015 to 99.4 per cent by the end of 2025, reflecting improved adherence to safety regulations.

The statement also revealed that implementation of the Safe-to-Load initiative contributed to a 61.29 per cent reduction in fatalities and a 15.53 per cent decline in the crash severity index in 2025, compared with previous records.

FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, was quoted as saying the initiative was designed to create a safer motoring environment for tankers conveying petroleum products, adding that improved licensing compliance had enhanced safety outcomes and professionalism within the petroleum haulage industry.

Beyond vehicle inspections and driver certification, Ohaeri said the Corps had strengthened enforcement of speed limiting devices, leak-proof tank standards, retro-reflective markings, tyre safety and anti-overloading regulations to address common causes of tanker crashes.

The statement noted that FRSC had also expanded driver training programmes, adopted data-driven crash investigations and intensified nationwide public enlightenment campaigns against fuel scooping, a dangerous practice that has worsened casualties in several tanker explosions, including the 2025 Suleja tragedy that claimed more than 100 lives.

Despite the gains, Ohaeri identified challenges such as ageing tanker fleets, driver fatigue, inadequate truck rest areas and Nigeria’s heavy reliance on road transport for petroleum distribution as obstacles to further reducing crashes.

He said sustained enforcement, improved infrastructure and stronger collaboration among government agencies, transport unions and industry stakeholders would be critical to saving more lives and making tanker operations safer on Nigerian roads.