The end is not in sight yet as all motorists who had been paying through their noses to fuel their cars, to pay for vehicle particulars are now to pay more for toll gates across the country.
What this means is that apart from levies and taxes, every motorists will have to pay for using Federal roads as revealed by the Power, Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola.
The reintroduction of toll gates suspended by the Olusegun Obasanjo regime will come into full force after the completion of major highways across the country.
The toll gates are to be managed by the private sector, Fashola told members of the Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) when he appeared before them in Abuja yesterday.
He told the lawmakers of plans by the government to design software for the monitoring of vehicles passing through the roads.
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According to him, road users would be able to pay toll through their phones, explaining that the toll collected would be used for maintenance of the highways.
He said, “We have concluded plans to reintroduce toll gates across the country and we have finalised the design.
“It will be managed by private sector and it will be located in the old places, 38 point across the country “We are only waiting for the completion of those roads before we introduce the toll gates.
He appealed to the Committee to revise procurement law in order to fast track contract approval by the government.
On budget release to FERMA, Fashola noted that out of N25 billion budget for the agency in the 2017 Budget, only N800 million has so far been released to the agency by the Ministry of Finance.
He admitted that the worst roads are located in the Southsouth and Southeast geopolitical zones, adding that an audit of bad roads showed that some of the roads were built before the 1967-1970 civil war.
The minister, who assured that efforts are on top gear to fix the roads, also said that the N100 billion sourced through the Sukuk Bond, was yet to be released to his ministry to carry out 25 major road constructions in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
He said that FERMA could be more effective and efficient if overhauled and compel to limit its operations to the core mandate of maintaining federal roads.
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Fashola said: “FERMA can be the largest construction company in the country. It depends on what we are willing to put into the agency. In the past, FERMA collected monies for roads they did not construct. That has to stop in this government.
“We are working with the Army Corps to see how we can develop local content. FERMA can be biggest construction firm. The unemployment challenges we have can be reduced if FERMA is busy in every state.â€
In his remarks, FERMA Committee Chairman Senator Magnus Abe noted that lawmakers, who are the true representatives of the people, are often side-lined by heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) when mulling siting of projects.
Abe said: “As elected representatives of the people, if the Federal Government is doing anything in your areas, our inputs are hardly needed. We will then have to fight for relevance.
“We are meeting you because of the challenges FERMA which is under your supervision is facing. Is this agency relevant in your scheme of things in your ministry? We need you to touch on the core challenges of this agency.â€
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