Encomium
Following the recent announcement of the reintroduction of toll gates on federal roads by the Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Nigerians have expressed mixed feelings over the move.
Fashola disclosed this in his maiden press conference as minister in Abuja on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 promising that the money generated will be properly accounted for and put to good use towards maintaining and sustaining quality federal roads.
His words, “Maintenance would be our watchword. We are setting up a robust maintenance regime to keep our highways in good shape. This shows that tolling is necessary to support government funding. So, it will not be too much if we ask every road user to pay a little to augment
government funding for road maintenance”.
ENCOMIUM Weekly spoke with Nigerians to gauge their pulse on the development…
‘It’s nice idea’ – Emmanuel Nnana
Reintroducing tollgate is not the main issue but proper management of the fund accrued from it. It’s a laudable idea but the money realized from it must be put into proper use. All the roads, especially along the areas must be fixed.
These must be full impact of it on the masses generally. And it should cut across. It shouldn’t be limited to a particular region.
‘There is nothing wrong in bringing back toll-gates’ – Isiaka Gbadamosi
There is nothing wrong in bringing back toll-gates. I really support the idea because it will end all the harassments and extortions by touts along the express roads, especially Lagos/Ibadan and Lagos/Abeokuta roads. But the money realized from that should be properly monitored so that it won’t be diverted.
I salute Raji Fashola’s courage to reintroduce that and I believe he’s a man of integrity. He won’t soil his hands.
‘I don’t think we need that now’ – Femi Solomon
I don’t think we need that now. Is the government not supposed to make life comfortable for the masses, it is the masses that will pay dearly for the reintroduction. They should retrieve all the money stolen and invest it in the economy.
‘I don’t expect Fashola to even think of that’ – Esther Adebisi
I don’t expect Fashola to even think of that. How many of those top officials travel by road, the senators that told him to introduce tollgate will not be affected. Most of them travel by air, if they don’t, they wouldn’t pay. They will say they are government officials. It is the masses that will bear the weight. Toll gate will not help us in any way.
‘Fashola will do a great job as a minister’ -Isaac Gbenga
There is nothing wrong with it if the money realised would be used judiciously to better our roads. Tax is the only viable means to develop our infrastructure in this nation and with my trust in Fashola, I know he would do a great job as a minister.
‘It’s a blessing and a curse’ – Rugba Onamejere
It’s a blessing and a curse. Over the years the funds from tollgates have been misappropriated. There has been high rate of fraud and money laundering
It’s a good project but considering that Lagos is an immigrant state and quite over populated, it will cause traffic and Lagosians will not be happy since most roads are bad.
‘Government is not well coordinated’ – Kess
The reintroduction of toll gates across the country is not a bad idea only if it’s going to help generate income to construct the highways. I feel that he did a good job with the Lekki toll but at federal level it will be hard to implement. Government is not well coordinated. We need the right people to fix things up and now is the time.
‘It is a good idea’ – Adebeshin Folake
I don’t think. It is a good idea, back then when we used to pay toll fees the roads were very bad what’s the assurance that they will maintain the roads with the money made off the toll gates.
‘I don’t know why Fashola wants to bring toll gates back’ – Adeyemi Adeoti
It’s not fair, I see it as another way to rip people off their little hard earned money. I don’t know why Fashola wants to bring toll gates back.
