By Salim Yunusa
The federal government Wednesday announced that it will reintroduce toll collections on some selected “motorable” dual carriageways across the country.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this while briefing State House reporters after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the tolling to be reintroduced on dual carriageways would cover only 5,050 kilometres (14.3 per cent) out of the total 35,000 kilometres federal roads.
It would be recalled that this policy would be resuscitated 18 years after the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration dismantled all toll plazas on federal roads across the country.
“So, the total network of roads today, assuming we wanted to start today which we’re not, that will be eligible for tolling on federal network will be 14.3% of the total network.
“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 exceptions to single carriageway are some bridges and they are listed in the regulation”.
The minister said the modalities are now being worked out to determine how soon the tolling system will take off.
