By Amos Aar
MOTORISTS and passengers plying the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Makurdi dual carriageway are full of complaints as the federal government commenced toll collection last week.
Passengers and motorists are grappling with increased travel time, higher fuel consumption, and rising transportation costs as the 25-year concession agreement with Messrs. China Harbour Operations and Maintenance Company.
The agreement, said to have been signed in 2023, grants the company the right to collect tolls on the highway.
The toll rates are as follows: cars – N500, SUVs – N800, minibuses – N1,000, and multi-axle vehicles, including trucks and buses – N1,600.
During a trip from Abuja to Makurdi on Sunday, our correspondent observed that minibuses were required to pay N500 at each tollgate along the route, amounting to N2,000 per trip. They also had to pay the same amount on the return journey to Abuja.
Our correspondent discovered that what was previously a four-hour journey now takes between six and seven hours due to long queues at toll gates.
Delays are often worsened by network issues, as the toll collection is strictly cashless, requiring drivers to make transfers before proceeding.
In cases of poor network reception, drivers are forced to wait until their payment alerts are received, further prolonging travel time.
Frustrated by the new toll regime, some passengers have resorted to stepping out of their vehicles to stretch their legs and get fresh air while waiting for their drivers to complete payment.
“We appealed to the government to limit toll collection to just one tollgate per state along the route, but our plea was ignored.
“Now, tolls are collected at every tollgate in both directions. Worse still, there is no 50 per cent discount for frequent road users like commercial light vehicles, as provided under the Federal Highways Act,” a driver lamented to our correspondent.
The new tolling system has sparked widespread complaints among road users, who are calling on the government to reconsider its implementation to ease the financial and logistical burden on travellers.
