Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola yesterday hinted that payment of toll on some federal highways would return soon.
The tolling will begin after the roads have been fixed, he added.
The former Lagos State Governor disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at yesterday’s meeting approved a memorandum his ministry presented to allow tolling on 5,050-kilometre of dual-carriage federal roads and bridges after all modalities have been finalised.
There are about 200,000-kilometre of roads across the country of which 35,000-kilometre (about 14 per cent) belong to the Federal Government.
Fashola told reporters at Aso Villa after the FEC meeting that vehicles will pay between N200 and N500 depending on how they are classified.
He said the toll collection will be automated to guarantee transparency.
Funds realised from the toll plazas will be used to maintain the roads and to construct new ones, he explained.
Fashola said: “The big step to actual tolling was taken today by presenting for approval the broad policy that will guide the tolling so that local people, states, local governments, all those who manage roads, investors who want to come in, will know what our tolling policy is. And that will form the basis of their financial modelling, their investment decision.
“First of all, toll will not start until roads are motorable. So, let’s be clear about this. There will be agreements that have to be placed, negotiated with government through the Ministry of works and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission. Some of the highlights are that we will adopt an open tolling policy as distinct from a closed tolling policy.”
