Reps want private investors to fix roads and bring back toll gates

The House of Representatives is calling for private investors to take over some federal roads and for toll gates to return on certain highways. This is part of efforts to fix Nigeria's bad road infrastructure.

The motion was sponsored by Esosa Iyawe (APC, Edo), Olusola Fatoba (APC, Ekiti), Abdulmaleek Danga (PDP, Kogi) and Uche Okonkwo (NDC, Anambra) during a plenary session on Wednesday.

Mr Iyawe explained that many federal roads are in terrible shape because they have been neglected for too long. He mentioned that poor maintenance, lack of funds, and heavy-duty vehicles have all contributed to the problem.

He pointed out that this situation has caused accidents, loss of lives, damage to vehicles, high transportation costs, and delays for people and goods.

Mr Iyawe specifically talked about the bad roads in Edo State. He said Edo is a key transportation link between the South-South, South-East, and the rest of Nigeria.

He identified the Benin-Lagos, Benin-Asaba, Benin-Warri, and Benin-Okene roads as needing urgent repair.

He noted that the bad roads are hurting businesses, increasing costs for transporting agricultural goods and other essential items. This situation is discouraging investment and making life hard for residents, travelers, and businesses.

Mr Iyawe stated that relying on yearly budget allocations to fix and maintain the vast network of federal roads has not worked well over time.

He suggested using clear Public-Private Partnership (PPP) deals to attract private money, expertise, and better management for the repair, running, and long-term care of the federal roads.

He also called for toll gates to be brought back on some repaired highways. He believes that tolling can help private investors recoup their money and provide funds for regular maintenance and road safety.

“The reintroduction of properly regulated toll gates on selected rehabilitated federal highways could provide a sustainable mechanism for recovering private investment, financing routine maintenance, supporting road safety operations and generating revenue for the Federal Government,” the motion stated.

Mr Iyawe said toll gates could also provide jobs for local communities through toll administration, security, traffic management, road maintenance, and other businesses.

He added that well-placed toll plazas could improve security, help with intelligence gathering, emergency response, and monitor traffic flow if coordinated with security agencies.

He emphasized that any tolling plan must be clear, affordable, and use technology effectively. It should have enforceable standards to ensure that motorists see better road quality and safety for their payments.

He asked the House to urge the Federal Ministry of Works to create a national plan for concessioning eligible federal roads to private investors under clear PPP deals. He suggested focusing on roads that need urgent repair and major economic routes.

He also urged the Ministry, along with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, to review the federal road network. They should find roads suitable for concessioning, repair, operation, and long-term maintenance.

Mr Iyawe further called for the reintroduction of toll gates on selected federal highways after significant repairs and the creation of clear concession agreements.

He said toll charges should be set through clear economic studies, public discussions, and affordability checks.

Other lawmakers supported the motion, and Ajang Iliya (APC, Plateau) accepted it without discussion.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, who led the session, sent the motion to the Committees on Public Assets, Works, and Finance for more action.

The committees should engage with relevant agencies on the proposed plan and report back to the House within four weeks.