Nigerians might begin to experience toll gates at major roads in the
country as the Senate is proposing the return of tolls on federal roads
and the setting aside of 0.5 per cent of transport fares paid
by mass transit passengers for inter-state trips to generate funds for
the rehabilitation and maintenance of roads in the country.
A levy of N5 will also be imposed on every litre of Premium Motor
Spirit (petrol) and Automobile General Oil (diesel) imported or refined
in the country for the same purpose.
These were part of the recommendations of the Senate Committee on
Works on the National Roads Fund Establishment Bill, 2017 “for the
purpose of financing the maintenance and rehabilitation of national
roads.”
Consideration of reports by the committee on the National Roads Fund
Establishment Bill and the Federal Road Authority Establishment Bill,
2017 was listed on the Order Paper of Thursday.
The lawmakers, who began with the consideration of the Federal Road
Authority report, however, stepped down the consideration of the
National Roads Fund report to another legislative day.
In the report on the National Roads Fund, the panel listed the
sources of funding to include a fuel levy of N5 chargeable per litre on
any volume of petrol and diesel products imported into the country and
on locally refined petroleum products.
Other sources are axle load control charges and tolls not exceeding
10 per cent of any revenue paid as user charge per vehicle on any
federal road designated as a toll road, which will not be applicable to
roads under public-private partnership plans.
The panel also recommended international vehicle transit charges and
inter-state mass transit user charge of 0.5 per cent deductible from the
fare paid by passengers to commercial mass transit operators on
inter-state roads.
It also proposed a roads’ fund surcharge of 0.5 per cent chargeable
on the assessed value of any vehicle imported at any time into the
country, as well as lease, licensing or other fees, which shall be 10
per cent of the revenue accruing from the lease or licensing or other
fees pertaining to non-vehicular road usages along any federal road and
collected by the federal roads agency.
The National Roads Fund is also expected to generate revenue from
grants and loans as well as “gifts of land, money or other property.”
The Senate Committee on Works listed the objectives of the bill to
include the establishment of the National Roads Fund “to be a repository
of revenues from road user related charges and other sources for
financing, which shall be managed and administered for routine and
periodic maintenance works on roads in Nigeria.”
It said the proposed fund would provide “predictable and sustainable
funding for road maintenance and promote the sustainable management of
the road networks; establish the governing board, which shall be
responsible for the management of the fund; and create an enabling
environment for private sector participation, management and financing
in the road sector.”
The lawmakers recommended that the National Roads Fund be established
with high level of independence under the jurisdiction of the Federal
Ministry of Finance, which would only oversee it for policy direction.
