Tollgates: Motorists To Pay N6,400, N4,000, N2,000 To Ply Abuja-Makurdi Road

Trucks, SUVs/Jeeps, light vehicles/minibuses, and cars will now pay N6,400, N3,200, N4,000, and N2,000, respectively, to use the 227.2km Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Makurdi Road constructed under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) road project scheme.

This follows yesterday’s federal government’s official flag-off of the cashless tolling operation along the road corridor.

The road has four toll stations at Keffi, Akwanga, Lafia and Makurdi plazas.
The toll rates peg Trucks/buses/multi-axle vehicles at N1,600 per toll, light vehicles/Minibuses at N1000, SUVs/Jeeps at N800, and cars at N500, respectively.

The minister of works, Engr. David Umahi said commercial vehicles would enjoy a 50 percent discount while tricycles, motorcycles, and other modes of two- or three-wheel transport are exempted from paying toll fee.
Others also exempted are police, military, security agencies and diplomatic vehicles.

He said the road corridor is a vital infrastructure route in Nigeria, serving as an essential highway for the economic and social activities of the country’s central and northern regions.

He said the road corridor is crucial for Nigeria’s economic, social, and strategic development. It is a key artery for trade, mobility, and national security while contributing to infrastructure growth, urbanisation, and national cohesion.

Umahi, represented by the minister of state for works, Bello Goronyo said the road’s effective maintenance and further development will continue to play a significant role in the nation’s growth and enhance the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.

He said the Federal Government of Nigeria rehabilitated and upgraded the roads through the preferential credit loan from China Exim Bank.

He explained that the loan agreement provided, among other things, that upon completion, the road will be tolled, operated, and maintained by a private party and that revenue collected from the operation shall be preferentially used for the loan repayment to the China Exim Bank.

“Consequently, the ministry, under the previous administration in 2023, executed a 25-year toll of wages and maintained a concession agreement with Messrs China Harbour Operations and Maintenance Company Limited, in partnership with Messrs Katamaran Nigeria Limited, under the Highways Development and Management Initiative Phase I”.

He said the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Makurdi is the first among the nine corridors being concessioned under the Highways Development and Management Initiative Phase I to commence operations.

He added that the government will continue, in the coming months, with the launching and operationalisation of the remaining ones located across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

This initiative has opened a new chapter in Nigeria’s history, allowing the federal government to overcome bad roads.

“Tolling concessions is a vital step towards realising our vision for a more efficient, sustainable, and well-maintained road transport system for our beloved country. Today, we embark on a journey to ensure that our infrastructure is preserved for the benefit of present and future operations. The collection of tolls will generate much-needed revenue for the maintenance and extension of our renewed road agenda.”

He reiterated that the initiative will promote ease of movement, bolster the economy, create a self-sustaining and resilient transport network, and support economic growth and job creation in the beloved North African and rural areas.
He said the toll order fee for the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Highway has been gazetted as follows: “Saloon cars would be tolled for N500, SUVs/Jeeps N800, minibuses N1000, and multi-axle vehicles N1600,”.

However, he said frequent road users, like the commercial light vehicles I defined under the Federal Highways Act, would enjoy a 50% discount.
He added that ” pedal vehicles, tricycles, motorcycles, and other modes of two- or three-wheel transport used by mainly disadvantaged populations would be offered a 100% discount.”
The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, represented by his
Deputy Dr Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe called for public enlightenment on the toll fees.

“We need to encourage the people and get their buy-in because this has multiple effects. Security is guaranteed, our vehicles will last longer, accidents will be less, and the economy will develop because, at these tollgates, economies will come up—shops, sales, and all that will come up.”
He said while the tolls would generate multiple effects, their impact will only be felt if the resources generated from these tollgates are appropriately used to avoid past experiences.
Akabe appealed that the federal government also consider the Doma-Nasarawa-Abuja Road for construction.

He said the constructed road would ease off traffic along the Lafia-Abuja Highway.

Speaking at the inauguration, the director general of the ICRC, Dr Jobson Ewalefoh, said that the projects show President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to Nigeria’s infrastructure development.

Ewalefoh, who was represented by the director of the Transport Infrastructure Department, Mr Shehu Danmusa, said that the ICRC, as the PPP regulator, confirms that the project conforms to the ICRC Act.

He commended the Federal Ministry of Works and the concessionaire for their commitment to the project . He called on Nigerians to support it as more PPP projects beyond roads were underway.