The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has revealed plans by the Nigerian government to apply toll fees on major highways in the country upon full construction.
According to Umahi, who spoke during an inter-ministerial press briefing held in Abuja as part of the 64th Independence anniversary celebrations, some of the highways targeted for tolling include Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Second Niger Bridge, the Abuja-Kano road, and the Makurdi to 9th Mile route in Enugu State.
He noted that the aim of the tolling is to bring confidence in the use of the highways.
“We have the Lagos-Ibadan (expressway), we are completing it and we are tolling it,” the minister stated.
“For example, we are completing the Lagos-Ibadan, we are working on Makurdi to 9th Mile in Enugu State, we are working from Abuja to Lagos.
“These roads are going to be tolled. But, we are not just tolling them, we are bringing confidence in the use of these roads,” Umahi said.
Investors King gathered that in August, the Federal Government reopened the bidding for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Phase 2 project.
The development came after the Minister of Works, David Umahi rejected Julius Berger Plc’s proposal.
This decision was announced in a statement by the Ministry of Works, following a meeting between the minister and representatives from Julius Berger Plc at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja.
Umahi expressed his disappointment with Julius Berger’s pricing.
He said, “One of the bypasses, which is 17.27 kilometres by two on asphalt, was awarded to Julius Berger. We changed the pavement elements to concrete, and the cost we calculated was N133 billion. Berger presented a figure almost twice our estimate, at N279 billion.”
“We disagreed with this cost during the negotiation in September 2023. We’ve decided to refer the project back to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and invite more contractors to bid because this involves public funds,” he added.