Motorists to pay N200, N500 per trip
Exemption for diplomatic, military vehicles, tricycles, motorcycles
The Nigerian Government on Wednesday said it was set to reintroduce toll collections on selected dual carriageways across the country.
This development is coming several years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo dismantled all toll plazas on federal roads across the country in 2003.
The government said only 14.3 percent of the entire 35,000 kilometres federal roads that are dual carriageways will be eligible for tolling with vehicles paying between N200 and N500 per trip respectively depending on their make.
Diplomatic, military, para-military vehicles as well as tricycles and motorcycles will be exempted.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola made these disclosure Wednesday while briefing newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja.
Fashola said his ministry presented a memo which the council approved for tolling to be reintroduced.
According to him, dual carriageways represent only 5,050 kilometres out of the total 35,000 kilometres.
He listed the recommended tolling fees in the approved policy and regulations to include “Cars: N200; SUVs: N300; Private Buses: N300; Commercial Buses: N150; Luxury Buses and Trucks: N500”.
The statement titled, ‘Nigeria Cabinet approves Federal Tolling Policy and Regulations’ also said “fees at existing tolled roads (Lagos and Abuja Airport Toll Plazas, and the Lekki and Ikoyi Toll Plazas) were taken into consideration” in reaching the new recommended pricing.
The statement listed 10 highlights of the new Federal Tolling Policy as follows:
“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).
“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.
“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.
“Electronic Toll Collection and Management systems will be prioritized over Cash systems.
“The following will be exempted from Tolling: Bicycles, Tricycles, Motorcycles, Diplomatic vehicles, Military and Paramilitary vehicles.
“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).
“People who live around Toll Plaza Areas will benefit from what is called ‘Frequent User’ discounts, in line with global best practice.
“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
“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.
“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.”
“So, the total network of roads today, assuming we wanted to start today, that will be eligible for tolling on federal network will be 14.3% of the total network,” Fashola said.
“So 85.27% will not be eligible for tolling. We have seen that most of those dual carriageways also have alternative roads, but they are single carriageway that’s why we left them.
So the only exception to single carriageway are some bridges and they are listed in the regulation.”
Fashola said with the FEC’s nod for the reintroduction of toll plazas in selected roads, modalities are now being fine tuned to determine how soon the tolling arrangement will take off.
“The Ministry of works and housing presented a policy memorandum for the approval of federal roads, bridges, tolling policy, and also a regulation that will provide legal framework for the tolling policy. So we have taken another step. So let me be clear, tolls are not going to start tomorrow. So let us be clear about that.”
THEGUARDIAN
