FG considers reintroduction of tolls on roads

The Federal Government has said it is considering the reintroduction of tolling on roads and has come up with the ‘Green Paper: Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy for Nigeria’ to actualise this.

The Director, Public-Private Partnership, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. Babatunde Ekunsumi, said road tolling was a globally accepted method of raising funds for road maintenance and management, and would be of substantial economic benefit if properly managed.

He said the Federal Government was seeking new funding methods to attract needed investment to the road sector in an effort to create an efficient and effective transport system.

Ekunsumi said, “Nigeria had operated some toll roads for several years, but they were abandoned in 2004 due mainly to legal disputes, revenue leakages and unmet maintenance of the tolled roads.  With tolling once again being considered as a policy option, Nigeria has the advantage that it can assess successfully executed tolling models to develop its own tolling framework that will effectively build, manage and maintain our roads.”

“Not all roads and bridges are viable propositions for tolling. The majority of Nigeria’s roads, especially subsidiary roads and roads with low traffic volumes will continue to be managed and funded by the Federal Government, as well as state governments and local authorities.  However, many high-volume sections of the federal road network might be tolled viably.”

He added that the Federal Ministry of Works was embarking on a programme to attract additional investment by increasing the role of the private sector in the management, maintenance and upgrade of federal roads and bridges through public-private partnerships.

Listing major recent initiatives of the ministry to include the rehabilitation, upgrade and widening of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as well as the Second Niger Bridge, he said the costs of financing them “will be met by road users through tolls and other commercial revenues as appropriate.”

According to Ekunsumi, the country needs a clear policy for tolling as well as the processes that will be followed for its implementation, adding that the public acceptance of paying for a service that had previously been funded by the government must be established through extensive public consultation on the tolling policy with all stakeholders.

He added that toll collection and enforcement would be legitimate as outlined in the green paper

“The paper sets out the framework and operational guidelines for the effective reintroduction of tolling in Nigeria,” Ekusinmi said.

 According to him, the paper is the base document for communication and consultation with stakeholders across the country in October and November.

“This green paper does not represent government’s final position on tolling. The green paper is a consultative document enabling the widest possible range of stakeholders, both public and private,  to provide their input into the formulation of this policy,” he said.

Source: Punch Newspaper