NIGERIA: Toll gates return to nation’s highways, as FEC approves policy, regulations

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

The Nigeria’s Federal Government, on Wednesday, approved a Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy and Regulations with intent to sustain quality building and maintenance of high ways across the country.

This approval was one of the highlights of Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa and presided over by the vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

The update was contained In report by Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi, the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital and Social Media, copy of which was obtained by The DEFENDER.

According to Ogunlesi this has been undergoing development for sometimes, “and is now finally ready and has been approved by Cabinet.”

According to him, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), while briefing the State House correspondents after the meeting, said the policy and its accompanying regulations were developed after extensive consultations with various stakeholders within and outside government, including transport unions namely, the NURTW, NARTO and RTEAN.

“Also, a Willingness-To-Pay Survey was carried out, to arrive at the recommended pricing framework. The fees at existing tolled roads (Lagos and Abuja Airport Toll Plazas, and the Lekki and Ikoyi Toll Plazas) were also taken into consideration,” Ogunlesi said.

He listed 10 highlights of the new Federal Tolling Policy, as shared by the Minister, as follows:

“1. It will be an Open Tolling system (just like the one that used to be in existence in the country), instead of a Closed Tolling system. (A Closed Tolling system means that you pay per distance traveled (‘distance-dependent’), while Open Tolling means you pay a fixed/flat rate that is not dependent on distance traveled)

“2. Only dual carriageways owned by the Federal Government will be eligible for tolling by the Federal Government. (Of the 35,000km of Federal Roads in existence in the country, only 5,050km are dual carriageway). Federal carriageways that are single, i.e. undivided highways will not be tolled. The only exceptions here will be some bridges, which are listed in the Policy.

“3. 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).

“4. Electronic Toll Collection and Management systems will be prioritized over Cash systems.

“5. The following will be exempted from Tolling: Bicycles, Tricycles, Motorcycles, Diplomatic vehicles, Military and Paramilitary vehicles.

“6. The Tolling Policy is a broad National framework that will serve as a guide for States and Local Governments who seek to implement their own Tolling Policies. (As noted earlier, only about 16% of the total road network in Nigeria belongs to the Federal Government. States own/control roughly the same amount as the FG, while the rest – amounting to two-thirds are last-mile roads belonging to and under the responsibility of Local Governments).

“7. People who live around Toll Plaza Areas will benefit from what is called ‘Frequent User’ discounts, in line with global best practice.

“8. Recommended Tolling Fees in the Approved Policy and Regulations are as follows:

Cars: N200
SUVs: N300
Private Buses: N300
Commercial Buses: N150
Luxury Buses and Trucks: N500

“9. According to the Honorable Minister, the Federal Highways Act vests the power to toll (Federal Roads) in the Minister responsible for roads, but implementation of any tolling policy/regime involves many processes and multiple agencies, and therefore requires multi-stakeholder collaboration.

“10. According to the Minister, it is important to stress that even with this policy now approved, tolling is not going to start immediately. He very clearly said that Tolling will not start “until the roads are motorable.” 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,” the Presidential Aide said.