The Federal Government will no longer allow weights above 45,000 tonnes on any road across the country.
Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola broke the news on Monday when he hosted national executives and trustees of Public Transport Owners of Nigeria Association (PTONA).
The minister expressed commitment to the various road construction projects across the country.
He said the maximum weight policy for the roads followed an order by President Muhammadu Buhari and applicable across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region.
Fashola said: “No person must carry more than 45,000 tonnes on any part of Nigeria. That is the maximum limit. The petroleum tanker drivers have expressed willingness to help us enforce this. It is not just chasing people on the highways; it is from your loading points. The President has directed that major ports and the petrol depot stations should enforce compliance at the loading points.
“So, what law enforcement has to track at the transit period would be very minimal. We want to reduce the interface between law enforcement and transport operators as much as possible.”
The minister explained that the ministry was doing a lot on road construction across the country.
He said the biggest challenge was the resources to quickly finance the projects.
Fashola assured his guests that the Federal Government would look for other ways, such as borrowing, Private-Public Partnerships (PPP) arrangement, among others, to deal with the challenge.
“Whether we like it or not, between the approval of a road for construction and its actually completion, there is a distance and people must be patient to allow us get through that distance. As we get to the end of that journey, life will become better,” he said.
