‘Illegal Highway Levies Raise Logistics Costs For Construction Sector’

The Heavy Duty Haulage and Transporters Welfare Association of Nigeria has urged Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu to deploy 20 police personnel to enforce a Federal High Court order directing the removal of roadblocks and other obstructions mounted on federal highways for the collection of taxes, levies and other revenues.

The association said stronger enforcement would help tackle what it described as economic sabotage and multiple taxation affecting truckers and other businesses involved in the movement of goods.

The request followed a July 13, 2026 judgment by the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki in Suit No. FHC/AI/MISC/9/2026.

Justice Hillary I. O. Oshomah granted an order of mandamus compelling the Nigeria Police Force and Joint Revenue Board to supervise or ensure the immediate removal and dismantling of roadblocks, blockades, checkpoints, barriers and other obstructions erected on federal highways and expressways for revenue collection.Africans & Diaspora.

The order also directed the police to arrest, detain, investigate and prosecute persons or organisations found operating such roadblocks where the activities contravene the Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Act.

The haulage association’s request to the IGP was contained in a letter dated August 26, 2026.

The association argued that unauthorised revenue collectors and highway obstructions impose additional costs on truckers and businesses transporting goods across the country.

For the wider economy, these costs matter because transportation is embedded in the price of products moving from manufacturers and suppliers to markets.

The Joint Revenue Board had already sought closer cooperation with the Nigeria Police Force in March 2026 to enforce the nationwide ban on roadblocks for tax collection. The Board said multiple revenue roadblocks were a concern for the economy and called for a national task force to dismantle them.

The impact extends beyond the transport industry. Construction depends heavily on road-based haulage to move cement, steel, aggregates, blocks, tiles, roofing materials, equipment and other inputs between manufacturers, distributors and development sites.

Additional charges along major transport corridors can therefore increase the delivered cost of construction materials, particularly for projects located far from manufacturing centres or ports.

For developers operating on tight margins, higher logistics costs can translate into larger project budgets, delayed construction schedules or higher selling prices.

Nigeria’s housing market is already dealing with high land, financing, labour and construction-material costs.

Dada Jackson is a correspondent with Independent Newspapers.

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