Sixteen years after the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo dismantled tollgates on Federal highways, President Muhammadu Buhari is planning to revive it as the Federal Government continues to seek ways to generate more revenue for road maintenance and rehabilitation.
The decision to return the tollgates on Federal roads was announced by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola. He said the government approved the return of the tollgates after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Buhari in Abuja.
Obasanjo had scrapped the tollgates, stating that it had outlived its usefulness to Nigerians. While giving his reasons for destroying the tollgates, Obasanjo said its daily returns of N63 million wasn’t that significant, considering the corruption surrounding the funds and the inconvenience motorists experienced due to the tollgates.
READ ALSO: Developing Nations’ Debt Hit $7.8 Trillion– World Bank
The idea of returning the tollgates to federal highways was considered during the administration of former President, Goodluck Jonathan. It was, however, frowned upon then. But according to Fashola, no Nigerian law prohibits tolling in Nigeria.
“There is no reason why we can’t toll. There was a policy of government to abolish tollgates or dismantle toll plaza but there is no law that prohibits tolling in Nigeria today,” Fashola said, adding that the government was considering employing cashless payment through electronic mode.
Fashola said to achieve this, the Federal Government needed more land, and this might lead to the acquisition of more land by the government. He said 10 lanes were proposed in order to expand the length of the tollgates.
Samson Oyedeyi
