TOLLGATES ARE BACK: NIGERIAN GOVT APPROVES TOLLING POLICY, REGULATIONS

The Nigerian government on Wednesday approved the federal roads and bridge tolling policy regulations, bringing toll gates back across the nation.

The decision was reached at today's Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, briefing newsmen after the meeting, said the policy and accompanying regulations were developed after extensive consultations with various stakeholders within and outside the government, including Transport Unions like NURTW, NARTO, RTEAN

"Also, a Willingness-To-Pay Survey was carried out, to arrive at the recommended pricing framework. The fees at existing tolled roads Lagos and Abuja Airport Toll Plazas, and the Lekki and Ikoyi Toll Plazas) were also taken into consideration," he said.

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 Fashola, the Federal Highways Act vested the power to toll (Federal Roads) in the Minister responsible for roads, but that implementation of any tolling policy/regime involved many processes and multiple agencies, and therefore requires multi-stakeholder collaboration.

He said, it is important to stress that even with this policy now approved, tolling is not going to start immediately.

Fashola stated clearly said that tolling would 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," he said.