- It Is Going To Bring A Lot Of Money To FG- Umahi
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has unveiled the plans by the Federal Government to toll all major roads in the country upon completion of construction and renovation.
Umahi made this known at the Inter-Ministerial Press Briefing put together to mark Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary on Thursday in Abuja.
He listed some of the roads to be tolled as Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Abuja-Kano Road, Makurdi-9th Mile, and Second Niger Bridge, among others.
READ ALSO: Umahi Storms Out On Journalists In Abuja
The former Ebonyi State governor said the tolling of federal roads “is going to bring a lot of money to the Federal Government”.
Umahi said private sector members have been engaged “to bring in funds, construct these roads, work with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Works to toll these roads”.
The minister said the government would start with the Keffi-Makurdi Road that has been completed, stating that his ministry has been engaging with the Ministry of Finance for a paperless mode of payment.
He said, “For example, we are completing the Lagos-Ibadan, we are working on Makurdi to 9th Mile in Enugu State, we are working from Abuja to Lagos. These roads are going to be tolled. But we are not just tolling them, we are bringing confidence in the use of these roads.
READ ALSO: FG Unveils Roadmap To Create 2 Million Jobs In Nigeria’s Creative Industry
“If people can travel at night because we are bringing security, where the response time will be 10 minutes on the entire corridor, where you have solar light permanently there and then reduce travel time, and through the tolling, the roads are maintained, then, there will be confidence because Nigerians will pay if the roads are good.”
He said before now, road developments have not been handled as investments but the administration of President Bola Tinubu has been handling road developments more professionally.
He said the present administration inherited a total of 300 damaged roads and bridges, adding that more road constructions would commence from October 1, 2024, across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
