Last week, Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed that the Federal Government had concluded plans to reintroduce tolling on selected expressways with the kickoff on the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Highway. The 227.2-kilometer road is among the nine expressways scheduled for tolling. Other roads listed include the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Road and Makurdi-9th Mile Road.

According to him, saloon cars will pay N500; sport utility vehicles, SUVs, N800; minibuses N1,000 and multi-axle (articulated) vehicles, N1,600. Frequent road users like commercial light vehicles, as defined under the Federal Highway Act, will enjoy a 50 per cent discount. The disclosure by the Minister has revived the debate over the desirability of having tolled highways. Toll gates are used to generate funds for the maintenance of roads in many climes. According to the Minister: ?Tolling operations is a pivotal step towards the realisation of our vision for a more efficient, sustainable and well-maintained road transport system for our beloved country.?

Toll gates are not exactly new to Nigeria. By virtue of Section 2 of the Federal Highways Act, Cap F13, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, the power to erect toll gates resides in the Minister. The administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo announced the scrapping of toll gates in 2003 because they were a cesspool of corruption as government found it difficult to track their earnings. Has government now found solutions to this? Has it perfected how to track and ensure that toll revenues are reported to the Federation Account? How are we sure that the toll plazas will no longer be given as political patronages as in the past?

This question is amplified by the ugly Lekki Toll Gate experience in Lagos. It started as a public-private partnership but had to be bought over by the Lagos State Government because the Lekki Concession Company, LCC, Ltd could not complete the Eti Osa ? Epe Express before it was shut down after the Lekki Toll Gate shootings in October 2020. This bruising experience under an APC-led democratic dispensation does not send encouraging signals for the restoration of tolling of our highways under the present government.

Also, the Lagos Airport Road has been tolled since 1998 with millions of Naira raked in daily, yet the road is poorly maintained. Where does the money go? Many Nigerians are worried that the reintroduction of tolling on our highways will add to the already high cost of transportation due to the removal of petrol subsidy, floating of the Naira, hike of electricity tariffs and other IMF/World Bank-induced price hikes. But if the Federal Government can faithfully maintain these highways and bridges with tolling, Nigerians will gladly absorb the burden. Tolling is working in many parts of the world.

Will corruption and patronage allow it to work in Nigeria? That is the big question. (Vanguard Editorial)

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