The House of Representatives is considering a bill that would require truck drivers to undergo mandatory drug tests every six months as part of efforts to tackle tanker and trailer accidents on Nigerian roads.
Peter Uzokwe, the lawmaker representing Nnewi north/Nnewi south/Ekwusigo federal constituency in Anambra, disclosed this on Tuesday during an interactive session of the house committee on petroleum resources (downstream) with players in the downstream oil sector, including Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
Uzokwe, the bill’s sponsor, said substance abuse remains a major contributor to road crashes involving heavy-duty vehicles.
“It is in my bill, coming up for second and third reading, that all truck drivers should be tested for drugs at least once every six months,” he said.
“You can train a driver who is a drug addict. He may drive well, but once the substance takes control, he will no longer drive the way he was trained.
“You can see the trailer and tanker accidents we are having. These are things that can be prevented if drivers are in their right senses.”
During the session, oil marketers outlined the challenges confronting Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector and called on the national assembly to support policy reforms to create a more competitive operating environment, improve domestic refining, ease logistics constraints and strengthen energy security.
Olufemi Adewole, executive secretary of DAPPMAN, said operators continue to face shrinking profit margins due to an uneven competitive landscape, a single-source supply environment, importation regulations and challenges relating to domestic refining and product supply.
Adewole said data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that at least 72 of Nigeria’s 154 petroleum depots recorded little or no consistent trading activity in the past year because of the prevailing business environment.
He warned that as domestic refining output increases, continued reliance on road transportation would worsen safety risks and congestion without significant investment in alternative distribution infrastructure.
Abubakar Shettima, national president of IPMAN, commended the federal government’s efforts to encourage private investment and strengthen regulation, but said the sector continues to struggle with rising financing costs, multiple taxation, logistics bottlenecks, inadequate storage facilities, pipeline vandalism, foreign exchange volatility, and limited stakeholder consultation.
Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu, chairman of the committee, said lawmakers would meet with NMDPRA, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other relevant stakeholders to address the concerns raised by the operators.
