Proposed toll gates return

OKHENAIYE Barnabas, 1, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State, +23480330128: It is sad that at this critical time, the Federal Government is considering the re-introduction of toll gates across the country. At the same time, it wants to remove fuel subsidy. One thing that baffles me is that every new regime in Nigeria tends to be more confused than the previous one. It seems the new minister of works was not in the country when the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo abolished toll gates and introduced a tax on every litre of petrol purchased by every car owner. The said tax which replaced toll fees was meant for the maintenance of all existing highways. Till date, nobody can account for how much has been collected or where the money is. Between that period and today, Nigerians groan and many more have lost their lives as a result of the callous neglect of our highways by successive governments. Those saddled with the responsibility of fixing the roads embezzled over N300bn then and now the rest is history. Nigeria is the only country where people in government do not value the lives of the ordinary citizens. Between January and now, over 100 Nigerians have lost their lives on the Ore-Benin Expressway alone. The question I want to ask the minister is, will the introduction of toll gates bring about the needed change in the efficient management of our highways' The answer is, of course, no! Past experiences have shown that toll gates are a tool for corruption and exploitation. Let nobody deceive us with any concessionaire. All the government agencies concessioned are not doing better rather, it is a gimmick to enrich friends of the government. We do not need toll gates to keep our roads in good shape. All we need is sincere and purposeful leaders. I am appealing to the President not to approve the re-introduction of toll gates, rather such money should be channelled towards the reconstruction of all the bad roads across the country.
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