BREAKING News: Nigerian Senate Passes Motion to Re-introduce Toll Gates on Nigerian Roads

The Nigerian Senate has passed a motion for the reintroduction of toll gates on federal roads in the country.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

 

During the Tuesday's plenary session at the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, Abuja, the Nigerian Senate has today, October 25, passed a motion for the re-introduction of toll gates on federal roads across the country.

 

According to Punch, 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.

 

Recall that toll gates on federal roads were removed by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2004.

 

Below are Tweets we culled from Nigerian Senate's Twitter account during the house's deliberations;