Recently, there were reports which revealed that the Federal Government plan to reintroduce toll gates nationwide.
Today, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola disclosed to newsmen that the Federal Executive Council has approved the plan. He claimed that this move was necessary for concessionaires to recoup investments.
In his statement, Fashola said, “Toll Revenues will be used to maintain the roads and also to repay investors who have invested in building or completing a road under the Highway Development Management Initiative (HDMI). Electronic Toll Collection and Management systems will be prioritised over Cash systems”
He further disclosed that the tolling system will be an open tolling system which will prioritize the use of technology.
For now, the recommended tolling fees are as follows: “Cars: N200; SUVs: N300; Private Buses: N300; Commercial Buses: N150, and Luxury Buses and Trucks: N500”.
He also added that people who live around the Toll Plaza Areas will benefit from what is termed ‘Frequent User’ discounts.
However, only dual carriageways owned by the Federal Government will be eligible to be tolled by the Federal Government. On the other hand, it is not far fetched to posit that the State Governments may borrow a leave from the Federal Government.
© CHUKWUBUIKEM CHISOM
9Naija 