Uproar, approval as concessionaire increases Lekki, link bridge tolls

An attempt by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) to upwardly review of tolls paid by motorists using the Lekki-Epe expressway and Lekki-Ikoyi link road was last year met by stiff resistance from users.  The Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, had to prevail on the LCC to suspend the review pending further engagement with relevant […]

An attempt by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) to upwardly review of tolls paid by motorists using the Lekki-Epe expressway and Lekki-Ikoyi link road was last year met by stiff resistance from users.

 The Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, had to prevail on the LCC to suspend the review pending further engagement with relevant stakeholders on the imperatives of the review.

 Barely three months after the suspension, the LCC put modalities in place for the implementation of the planned review. It, therefore, fixed February 1 for the commencement of the new toll.

 In the new fare regime, cars and tricycles owners are now paying N200 for using the Lekki-Epe expressway, as against N120 they were paying, while for the Ikoyi link bridge, these categories of users are now paying N300, as against the old rate of N250.

 Sport Utility Vehicles owners now pay N250 to use the Lekki-Epe expressway instead of N150 being paid before. For the Ikoyi link bridge, the owners of SUV now pay N100 more in addition to the present N300.

 Heavy duty trucks/buses with two or more heavy axles now attract N1,000 on the Lekki-Epe expressway.

 Most motorists are complying with the new toll amid protests; some have embraced it without grumbles. While some motorists complied without much argument, there were some who raised eyebrow over the propriety of the review, citing prevailing economic challenges.

 The Lagos State government had in December 2011 concessioned the 56-kilometre Lekki-Epe expressway to LCC as part of its plan to develop the expanding corridor to the satisfaction of the motorists. Despite the opposition against it by residents of the Lekki corridor in the Lekki-Epe/Eti-Osa Local Government Area, the toll commenced.

 The second phase of the toll plaza, which was to be implemented in 2014, was also rejected by stakeholders in the axis after the completion of the axis. The protest trailing the second plaza forced the concessionaire to suspend the toll. It was learnt from reliable sources that the second plaza to Chevron Headquarters may never be operational in line with the opposition of some stakeholders against it.

 Investigation by Eko Trust showed that the inability of the LCC to commence toll on the second plaza, coupled with high operation cost, must have informed the new increment, which has been generating angry reactions from some quarters. A source said, “You remember in 2014, there was an attempt to start toll collection on the conservation plaza but a court order stopped the proposal, and as I am talking to you, there is no plan in the offing to re-introduce the second tolls.”

 The LCC has been justifying the increment, saying it engaged in rigorous consultation with key stakeholders, including members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who appeared to have been favoured in the new toll regime as the toll for commercial buses was only increased from N80 to N100.

 The Managing Director of LCC, Mr Mohammed Hassan, noted that the feedback and recommendations received during the series of consultations held in December 2017 with stakeholders in the Eti-Osa Local Government area and its environs considerably influenced the new toll fares to be paid by motorists plying the expressway and the link bridge.

 Hassan said, “Since the commencement of tolling in December 2011, the toll tariffs had remained the same despite the continuous increase in the cost of operations to ensure that the toll plazas and the road infrastructure are well maintained. The toll review has also become necessary to enable the company meet its loan obligations to its local and foreign lenders, considering the fact that foreign exchange rates have continued to increase astronomically in the last couple of years. LCC cannot continue to operate or provide the services required from us if we do not review the toll tariffs.”

 But despite the engagement, there are pockets of residents who filed out in protest last Friday after a sustained social media campaign championed by Mr Dotun Hassan. The protest, though with only a handful of residents bearing placards, gained mileage in the civil society circles and some residents.

 Dotun Hassan, in a chat with newsmen, decried lack of transparency in the management of the Lekki toll revenue while demanding for total cancellation of tolling at the Admiralty Circle Plaza and the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge.

 Also, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has urged Ambode “to take steps to immediately reverse the unfair and discriminatory toll charges at the Lekki-Epe Expressway and Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge toll gates by the Lekki Concession Company, if the Lagos State government is not to run the risk of undermining the public interests, democratic values and accountability, and opportunities for participation.”