The Senate on Tuesday passed a motion for the reintroduction of toll gates on federal roads in the country, positing that the re-establishment of toll? gates would solve “the nation’s generally dilapidated road networks”.
Toll gates on federal roads were removed by the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo in 2004.
The motion, titled ‘Need for the Re-establishment of Toll Gates On Our Federal Highways,’ was moved the lawmaker representing Bauchi-North Senatorial District, Suleiman Nazif, during the day’s plenary.
?He expressed dismay over the state of roads in the country, saying they had become a “national shame and embarrassment”.
Nazif stated that “beside revenue generation; the presence of toll gates, which are normally managed by armed security agents, provides a level of safety for road users.”
He, 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, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, called for a voice vote, and members of the Upper Chamber overwhelmingly voted for the reintroduction of the gates.