Following the reveal of Federal Government’s plan to return toll gates on the federal highways, political commentators have revealed what might look like a one sided plan.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola made this known on Wednesday, 2nd October, while briefing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC), meeting presided over by President Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Babatunde Fashola said there was no law that stopped the government from having toll gate on federal roads.

His words: “There is no reason why we can’t toll, there was a policy of the government to abolish tolls or as it were, dismantle toll plaza but there is no law that prohibits tolling in Nigeria today. We expect to return toll plazas, We have concluded their designs of what they will look like, what materials they will be rebuilt with, what new considerations must go into them.

“What we are looking at now and trying to conclude is how the bank end runs,” he said.

The Minister of Works and Housing noted that the Federal Government was also considering eliminating the payment of cash by introducing electronic mode of payment.

The Minister stressed that the Buhari-led government needed to acquire more lands to expand the width of the toll gates as it proposed to have a ten-lane.

DESIGNATED TOLL GATE POINTS ACROSS NIGERIA – commentary.

 

– South-East 56 Toll Gates.
– South-South 21 Toll Gates.
– South-West 22 Toll Gates.
– North-Central 14 Toll Gates.
– North-West 12 Toll Gates.
– North-East 9 Toll Gates.

 

1. 5 states of SE with 56 toll gates.

2. 7 states of NW with 12 toll gates.

3. 6 states of NE with 9 toll gates.

4. 6 states of NC with 14 toll gates.

Total toll gates in the 19 states of the north are = 35

Irony of the thing is that SE with only 5 states have more toll gates (56) than the entire 19 states of the North with 35 toll gates – higher with and by 21 toll gates. Who then can say that SE is not under siege and properly exploited. SE has more police checkpoints than any other region in Nigeria. SE has the greatest numbers of dilapidated road networks than any other region.

 

5. 6 states of SS with 21 toll gates = 99 toll gates.

6. 6 states of SW with 22 toll gates.

7. 5 states of the SE with 56 toll gates.

Total number of toll gates in the South = 99

 

South = 99
North = 35
Difference = 64

 

The north claims to have the highest population and yet, will pay the lowest of the toll gate fees.

 

MY POINT, MORE FEDERAL ROADS TO THE NORTH, MORE TOLL GATE TAX TO THE SOUTH.

#168bn FEDERAL ROAD PROJECTS, A FINANCIAL BENEFITS FOR THE NORTH.