FG Commissions Cashless Tolling Implementation C’ttee For Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Highway
By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has inaugurated a cashless tolling system implementation committee for Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Highway.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony held at the ministry’s headquarters on Thursday in Abuja, Minister of Works Sen. David Umahi explained that the cashless tolling system is a strategic programme under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) aimed at promoting strong and sustainable transportation ecosystem.
He said “This is one of the cardinal strategies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards realising the desires of our people in the road sector development.
A statement from the ministry late Thursday, signed by Barr. Orji U. Orji, the Minister’s media aide, described the move as part of measures deployed by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Renewed Hope administration to revolutionise road infrastructure development and stimulate economic growth.
“Recall that a point of Keffi-Akwanga-Markurdi was done on EPC + F, and funded up to 85% by China Exim Bank, and the federal government paid 15% counterpart funding and the job was executed satisfactorily by China Harbour Ltd. Part of the agreement was that they would toll the road and then recoup the money for the government to pay back the loan segment of the project,” the statement read in part.
Inaugurating the committee, Umahi expressed hope that it would leverage ideals of the Terms Of Reference (ToR) handed to them to develop a robust implementation master plan that would lead to the realisation of the economic and social objectives of the HDMI which was institutionalised to ensure sustainable private sector investment and to improve the quality and quantity of the road assets in Nigeria with a view to propelling rapid economic development.
The Terms Of Reference included developing the cashless tolling system implementation framework, making appropriate recommendations as to the potentials of relief stations and good physical environment along the corridors, and proffering practical solutions to the challenges of implementing cashless toll collection among others.
He said “We must also, as part of the assignment, develop relief stations. Relief stations are what you see along overseas’ expressways, where you have a lot of stations like supermarkets, small clinics, security outfits, and a number of other facilities, including parks.
“The idea of Mr President is that we should have a maximum of 10 minutes of response time on our highways, meaning that in the full development of this route, part of the assignment will be how we can install CCTV cameras, and also have solar light all through the entire route of the project.
“And so, we will be able to put security personnel on our roads, and then have a station at a relief centre where they would stay and watch passing vehicles, so that within 10 minutes of any incident along the route, they would be able to get there within 10 minutes response time.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, the Head PPP (Public-Private-Partnership) Unit of the ministry and Secretary of the committee, Mrs Ugwu-Chima Nnennaya, said the inauguration was part of the statutory responsibilities of the Ministry of Works which has the mandate to attract private sector funding for the development and management of federal road network through the HDMI.
She said, “The HDMI is expected to, among others, bring order, accountability, and profitable entrepreneurship to the operations, management, and maintenance of federal highways.
“This is consistent with the provisions of the ICRC (Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission) Establishment Act 2005; National Policy on Public-Private Partnership (“N4P”); Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy of August 2021 and Federal Highways Act CAP. 135, 1971 which grants the Minister of Works the power to administer tolls on federal highways.”
In her acceptance speech on behalf of the committee, the chairman and head, PPP, Federal Ministry of Finance, Hajiya Jummai Katagum, thanked the Ministry for the opportunity to serve the nation in that capacity, noting that though the task was enormous, the committee would carry out the assignment with utmost commitment and deliver.
The committee has within two weeks to submit its report.