By Seyi Babalola
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said that the four toll gates along the 260-kilometer Abuja-Keffi-Makurdi highway meet the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission’s (ICRC) regulations.
Umahi, in response to inquiries about tolls in Abuja, noted that the statute creating the ICRC specifies the minimum and maximum conditions for tolling highways under concession.
The minister was responding to a query about some commuters’ worries about the number of tolls on the recently completed road.
Although the toll gates are yet to be operational, commuters along the route have raised concerns that four points for payment of tolls on a 260km road will be burdensome.
The commuters, however, commended the federal government for the timely delivery of the project.
“The total length of that road is 260 kilometres, and it is dualised, which means you are talking about 520 kilometers, and I don’t think that we have more than four toll gates on that road.
“There is a law establishing an infrastructure concession regulatory commission, and they have the minimum requirements and maximum requirements for tolling.
“We have followed that law and we have also set up a committee because we are doing a cashless collection on the road.
“The committee members are meeting with us next week, and they will tell us how to go about that because there are a lot of people who do not know how to read and write when it comes to ICT.
“It may be difficult for them to understand what we are talking about, in terms of electronic payment of tolls.
“So, we are trying to ensure that we carry such people along,” the minister explained.
Recall that Umahi on October 17, inaugurated the committee on the implementation of a cashless tolling system on the road.
He said the cashless tolling system is a strategic programme under the Highway Development and Management Initiative aimed at promoting a strong and sustainable transportation ecosystem.
The committee’s tasks included designing the cashless system, establishing relief stations with essential services such as supermarkets, clinics, and security outposts, and ensuring improved security along the highway.
