Abujab – Mr Gabriel Amuchi, the Managing Director of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), has said that government is considering a cashless method of collecting tolls.
Amuchi in Abuja on Friday said that the reintroduction of toll gates in the country would be done electronically enabling road users to purchase scratch cards or other means that would be considered.
According to him, this has become necessary for proper and effective use of the money on road projects.
“We are not expecting people to stay somewhere to collect money and not remit them, previously the money collected were not properly accounted for and could not be used for road maintenance.
The Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, recently said the federal government would re-introduce toll gates on the nation’s highways early next year.
The minister made the announcement in November when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Works, and said the decision was to boost efforts at revamping road transportation.
Amuchi said that tolls would be collected on rehabilitated and newly constructed roads only, as commuters and other road users would be happy to pay.
“ What we quarrel about is the collection of tolls on roads that are not in good shape and the ministry has made it clear that tolling will be done only on roads that are very well maintained. ’’
He said the collection of tolls became necessary because of the need for an alternative means of funding road contracts.
He said that Nigerians would appreciate it if the tolls collected, no matter how small, were used to maintain the roads.
He said in spite of the agency’s low budgetary allocations and revenue generation, it had carried out a lot of road repairs in the 36 states and the FCT.
“ We are making it clear to the federal government to give consideration for the request for alternative funding with the effort of the ministry.
“ A lot will be achieved with additional funding to enable us be less dependent on budgetary appropriations.’’
Amuchi said the agency’s preventive maintenance programme launched recently was one of the measures introduced for road maintenance (NAN)
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FG will considers cashless tolls on roads