Nigerian Senate Passes Motion to Re-introduce Toll Gates on Nigerian Roads [BREAKING NEWS]

The Nigerian Senate today October 25th passed a motion for the reintroduction of toll gates on federal roads in the country.

Senate President Bukola Saraki

The motion which was titled; ‘Need for the Re-establishment of Toll Gates On Our Federal Highways,’ was moved by Senator Suleiman Nazif, representing Bauchi-North Senatorial District.

In the motion, Senator Suleiman who sponsored it, expressed dismay over the state of roads in the country, saying they had become a “national shame and embarrassment”.

He said the re-establishment of toll‎ gates would solve “the nation’s generally dilapidated road networks”.

“Besides revenue generation, the presence of toll gates, which are normally managed by armed security agents, provides a level of safety for road users,” he said.

The lawmaker therefore, urged the senate to “constitute an ad-hoc committee to carefully study the toll-gate policy toget‎her with other relevant stakeholders on effective and efficient ways to carry out the policy aimed at producing a holistic package to generate adequate funds for road construction and maintenance, and the money realised should be judiciously utilised in order to restore confidence in the masses”.

After a brief debate on the motion, the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, called for a voice vote, and the senate voted overwhelmingly for it.

Toll gates on federal roads were removed by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2004.