What Nigerians think about the reintroduction of toll gates in the country?

The government has proposed that tollgates be reintroduced in order to increase revenue generated, but Nigerians have mixed feelings about the reintroduction of toll gates. Here are the opinions of some Nigerians.   Victor Iko Ojo, Engineer, Abuja It is unfortunate that the government wants us to pay for services not rendered. Have you seen […]

The government has proposed that tollgates be reintroduced in order to increase revenue generated, but Nigerians have mixed feelings about the reintroduction of toll gates. Here are the opinions of some Nigerians.

 

Victor Iko Ojo, Engineer, Abuja

It is unfortunate that the government wants us to pay for services not rendered. Have you seen the bad states a lot of roads across the country are in? A lot of the Federal roads are deteriorating and nothing is being done. So what are we going to be paying for exactly? When you travel on some of the roads, you’ll feel aches all over your body, spend money repairing your car. So we are already paying in some ways by travelling on the road. Now the government wants to impose fees on us to travel on the death traps they call roads? Very funny. Why don’t they first repair and rehabilitate the roads before talking about toll gate fees? In fact, the appropriate thing would be to repair the road, then allow us enjoy it for some time for free as compensation for our past pains and trials on these roads. Reintroduction of the fees is a good plan coming at the wrong time. It’s not what’s next at all.

 

Onyeagwalam Gloria, Secretary, 22, Lagos

Toll gates are very unnecessary, are they meant to generate money and for what exactly? Since these Toll Gates have been introduced, the government can’t pinpoint a good example of what the money is used for. Federal roads are still in very bad shape, We still jump rickety buses to work every day, traffic is almost unavoidable, and these lists are endless…
More Toll Gates means more traffic and bashing of cars, of course, we all know Nigerians aren’t patient which isn’t their fault either. The traffic management system in Nigeria is very poor.
I urge Nigeria to fight against this new policy because we all know who it favours.

 

Mohammed Oluwafemi, Lawyer, 25, Abuja

It sounds like a poorly crafted joke. The reintroduction of toll gate fees is designed to inconvenient the masses. When Jonathan tried to do something similar during his tenure. I can remember Lai Mohammed as the spokesman of ACN then (now APC) saying Jonathan’s administration is emasculating Nigerians with a series of anti-people policies. So what has changed now that it’s the turn of the APC? The present government promised us to change for the better. Does this fit into that? Isn’t this going to be just conflicting more burden and suffering on the masses?

 

Olaoluwa Olagunju, Freelance Writer and Editor, 25, Kaduna

In many cases, a tollgate or tollway serves as an instrument to generate revenue. That revenue will be later used for road and bridge fixing and general maintenance of roads around that area. Basically, it raises funds. So, yes, a reintroduction of the tollgates is a positive step in the right direction. Such funds generated from those tolls should be used to develop the roads at the locations of the toll. That way, we don’t always depend on the government for funds to fix bad roads. Under strict monitoring, the reintroduction of the tollgates is a definite positive.

 

Nwankwo Chukwumuanya, Data Administrator, 27, Abuja

The re-introduction of the tollgate, in my opinion, would be a welcomed development because this means more revenue. But I am particularly interested in how the Government intends to sustain this policy in the long-run and how revenues generated would be utilized properly to ensure safer and user-friendly roads.

 

Idris Mohammed, 26, Program Officer, CDD Abuja.

It is not a bad idea because most express in the developed world are tolled, for example UK. This will be a source of revenue from the private sectors to maintain transport infrastructure in the highways like bridges, street light and tunnels. However, Nigerian roads are really in bad shapes and need serious attention. My concern is the habit of some of the unpatriotic government agencies that may constitute inconveniences to motorist and encourage corruption from different angles. To avoid this, the Nigerian government need to map out clear method of generating revenue directly through tolls for the maintenance of the transport infrastructures only. The Nigerians need to be fully carried along and sensitize in the process to avoid misconception.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

Onyeagwalam Gloria, Secretary, 22, Lagos

Toll gates are very unnecessary, are they meant to generate money and for what exactly? Since these Toll Gates have been introduced, the government can’t pinpoint a good example of what the money is used for. Federal roads are still in very bad shape, We still jump rickety buses to work every day, traffic is almost unavoidable, and these lists are endless…
More Toll Gates means more traffic and bashing of cars, of course, we all know Nigerians aren’t patient which isn’t their fault either. The traffic management system in Nigeria is very poor.
I urge Nigeria to fight against this new policy because we all know who it favours.

 

Idris Mohammed, 26, Program Officer, CDD Abuja.

It is not a bad idea because most express in the developed world are tolled, for example UK. This will be a source of revenue from the private sectors to maintain transport infrastructure in the highways like bridges, street light and tunnels. However, Nigerian roads are really in bad shapes and need serious attention. My concern is the habit of some of the unpatriotic government agencies that may constitute inconveniences to motorist and encourage corruption from different angles. To avoid this, the Nigerian government need to map out clear method of generating revenue directly through tolls for the maintenance of the transport infrastructures only. The Nigerians need to be fully carried along and sensitize in the process to avoid misconception.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

Sebastine Ebhuomhan, Freelance Journalist, Abuja

Tollgates are gates built or placed at specific points on roads by a government or approved private operator to toll users with a view to recovering the cost or expenses of constructing and maintaining the road. Ordinarily, it is a modern and legal means of recouping road costs. But the experience in Nigeria, where more than 85% of government roads are presently not motorable, shows that operation of tollgates does not necessarily bring about good roads. While President Buhari’s promise of good roads for Nigerians has, at best, remained a dream stalled by lack of funds, a re-introduction of tollgates is not the best solution to realising that dream. In the end, it may just serve as another conduit pipe to enrich a new set of government ‘big men and women’, besides it’s contributing to an already high level of poverty and pain many Nigerians go through with high transport fares and withdrawal of vehicles from tolled roads.

 

Abdurazaq Sulaiman, Tailor, 28, Kaduna.

Tolling vehicles for their use of roads can be a double-edge sword: It can be a means of generating revenue for the public budget, improving the efficiency of transport and reducing the external costs of roads maintenance, and to also create jobs. And it can be a means of exploiting citizens frazzled and distraught as a result of its multiplier effect on consumer goods, hence adding hardship to an existing one, most especially when the toll is mismanaged. Therefore, if the government wants to bring back the toll gates, there is a need to curb corruption and embezzlement of collecting tolls and to ensure that the generated funds are utilized for roads maintenance.