September 27, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has unveiled plans to toll all major roads in the country upon completion of construction and renovation.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, who disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday, listed some of the roads as Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano road and Makurdi-9th Mile, among others.
The minister said the government will start with the Keffi-Makurdi road that has been completed; adding that his ministry has been engaging with the Ministry of Finance for a paperless mode of payment.
“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.
“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.
Umahi, who hinted that construction of more roads will commence from October 1, across the six geopolitical zones of the country, said the present administration inherited a total of 300 damaged roads and bridges.
