- The federal government has approved a new tolling policy that requires motorists using some federal roads to pay some charges
- Presidential aide Tolu Ogunlesi said the minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola. made this known on Wednesday, August 11
- However, the policy which was approved by FEC will not take effect immediately, the minister explained
FCT, Abuja - The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy and Regulations.
Presidential aide, Tolu Ogunlesi, made this known in a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, August 11.
He said the policy and regulations were approved during the FEC meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to Ogunlesi, the minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the regulations were developed after extensive consultations with various stakeholders within and outside the government.
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Fashola added that a Willingness-To-Pay Survey was carried out to arrive at the recommended pricing framework.
Legit.ng gathers that some of the stakeholders consulted include transport unions like the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employers’ Association Of Nigeria, amongst others.
Open toll system adopted
The presidential aide said the tolling system is an open one where motorists only pay a fixed/flat rate that is not dependent on the distance travelled.
He added only dual carriageways owned by the federal government will be eligible for tolling under the new policy. However, some bridges are also listed in the policy.
Fashola was cited as explaining that the 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).
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According to the minister, electronic toll collection and management systems will be prioritised over cash systems.
He explained that people who live around Toll Plaza Areas will benefit from what is called ‘Frequent User’ discounts, in line with global best practice.
The statement listed the recommended tolling fees in the approved policy and regulations to include “Cars: N200; SUVs: N300; Private Buses: N300; Commercial Buses: N150; Luxury Buses and Trucks: N500”.
No immediate implementation
Meanwhile, Fashola stressed that even with the approval of the policy, tolling is not going to start immediately.
He said that rolling will not start “until the roads are motorable.”
The statement noted:
"This policy is a necessary condition for the implementation of Tolling, and it is now for people to start getting familiar with it and for relevant stakeholders to start using it as a basis for their financial modeling and investment analysis, ahead of the eventual rollout of Toll Plazas."
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Nigerians react
Tokunbo Akomolede said:
"Tolling on bad roads? I don't understand...you mean we should be paying for using bad roads? Fix roads first..."Tokunbo Akomolede said:
"Tolu Ogunlesi Tell them to fix the roads oga, Nigerian Government have been fixing just Lagos Ibadan for how many years now? Going to 20 years, if not more then 20 years...just Lagos Ibadan express way...."Biodun Caston-Dada said:
"Fair Deal. May Nigeria succeed."Fashola inspects the 2nd Niger Bridge
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government gave a date for the commissioning of the 2nd Niger bridge.
Works and housing minister Fashola in an inspection visit to the Anambra state axis of the bridge hinted that the 2nd Niger bridge will be commissioned in 2022.
The minister stated further that the bridge project would be fully linked by February 2022 and that the entire project would also be commissioned the same year.
Source: Legit.ng
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