The house of representatives has asked the federal government to concession federal roads to investors and reintroduce tolls on selected highways to ensure sustainable infrastructure development and enhance security.
The lower legislative chamber passed the motion during
Wednesday’s plenary, following the adoption of a motion co-sponsored by Esosa
Iyawe (Oredo federal constituency), Olusola Fatoba (Ado Ekiti/Irepodun-Ifelodun
federal constituency), Abdulmaleek Danga (Adavi/Okehi federal constituency) and
Uche Okonkwo (Idemili north/Idemili south federal constituency).
Moving the motion, Iyawe, the lead sponsor, said an
efficient road transportation network is fundamental to national economic
development, trade facilitation, agricultural productivity, industrial growth,
national security and the general welfare of citizens.
The legislator said several federal roads across Nigeria
have “deteriorated significantly due to prolonged neglect, inadequate
maintenance, insufficient funding, and increasing pressure from heavy-duty
vehicles, resulting in avoidable accidents, loss of life, vehicle damage,
higher transportation costs, and delays in the movement of goods and people”.
He said Edo, which sits on a major transportation corridor
linking several parts of southern Nigeria, suffers from the deplorable
condition of several roads connecting other states.
The lawmaker said the poor condition of the roads has
adversely affected commercial activities, increased the cost of transporting
agricultural produce and other essential commodities, discouraged investment,
and imposed significant economic hardship on residents, commuters and
businesses.
The legislator noted that the federal government’s reliance
on annual budgetary allocations to rehabilitate and maintain an extensive
federal road network has not consistently delivered the required level of
infrastructure renewal, necessitating the exploration of sustainable
alternative financing and management arrangements.
Iyawe said concessioning through transparent public-private
partnership (PPP) arrangements can attract private capital, technical
expertise, and efficient project management to rehabilitate, operate, and
maintain federal roads over the long term, while reducing the federal
government’s immediate financial burden.
“The reintroduction of properly regulated toll gates on
selected rehabilitated federal highways could provide a sustainable mechanism
for recovering private investment, financing routine maintenance, supporting
road safety operations and generating revenue for the federal government,” he
said.
The lawmaker said establishing and operating toll gates will
create direct and indirect employment opportunities for host communities
through toll administration, security services, traffic management,
maintenance, catering, retail businesses, and other ancillary services.
“Strategically located toll plazas, when properly designed
and coordinated with relevant security agencies, can serve as additional points
for lawful security presence, intelligence gathering, emergency response and
the monitoring of vehicular movements, without disrupting the free movement of
citizens or becoming instruments of harassment and extortion,” he said.
The legislator said any tolling arrangement must be
transparent, affordable, technologically efficient, and supported by
enforceable service standards to ensure motorists receive measurable
improvements in road quality, safety, and travel efficiency in return for toll
payments.
The motion was adopted when Tajudeen Abbas Tajudee Abbas,
speaker of the house, called for a voice vote.
Consequently, the house asked the ministry of works to
develop and implement a comprehensive national framework for the concessioning
of eligible federal roads to competent private investors under transparent PPP
arrangements, with priority given to roads requiring urgent rehabilitation and
those serving as major economic and commercial corridors.
The parliament also asked the works ministry to reintroduce
tolls on selected federal highways after substantial rehabilitation and the
establishment of clear concession agreements, with toll charges determined
through transparent economic assessments, public consultation and affordability
considerations.
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