……Establish Relief Stations where you have a lot of stations with supermarket, small clinic, security outfits, including parks, wheel lorries and tow vans.”
By Benard Akoma
The Head, PPP Federal Ministry of Finance, Haj. Jummai Katagum and the Head PPP Unit, Federal Ministry of Works, Mrs. Ugwu-Chima Nnennaya are Chairman and Secretary, respectively charged with the responsibility of implementing a cashless tolling system for Abuja-Keffi expressway and dualization of Keffi-Akwanga-Markurdi road.
According to a release by Uchenna Orji, media adviser to the Honourable minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, the inauguration ceremony of the committee was held at the Ministry’s headquarters, Mabushi, Abuja on 17th October 2024.
According to the Minister, “a point of Keffi-Akwanga-Markurdi was done on EPC + F, and funded up to 85% by China Exim Bank, and the Federal Government paid 15% counterpart funding and the job was executed satisfactorily by China Harbour Ltd.” Part of the agreement, he maintained, “is that they will toll the road and then recoup the money for the Federal Government to pay back the loan segment of the project.”
The Honourable Minister of Works, during the ceremony, stated that the cashless tolling system was a strategic programme under the Highway Development and Management Initiative aimed at promoting strong and sustainable transportation ecosystem. He said “This is one of the cardinal strategies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards realizing the desires of our people in the road sector development.”
The minster expressed hope that the committee would leverage on ideals of the Terms Of Reference handed to them to develop a robust implementation masterplan that would lead to the realization of the economic and social objectives of the Highway Development and Management Initiative that will ensure sustainable private sector investment and to improve the quality and quantity of the road assets in Nigeria with a view to propelling rapid economic development.
He tasked the committee to focus on the Terms of Reference which includes to develop the cashless tolling system implementation framework, make appropriate recommendation as to the potentials of relief stations and good physical environment along the corridors and profer practical solution to the challenges of implementing cashless toll collection in Nigerian environment.
Describing Relief stations, he said, “these what you see in overseas' expressways, where you have a lot of stations where you have a supermarket, you have a small clinic, you have also security outfits, and a number of other facilities, including parks, wheel lorries, and vehicles park, and tow vans.”
The idea, the minister further explains, “is that we should have a maximum of 10 minutes of response time on our Highways, saying, that in the full development of this route, part of the assignment will be how we can install CCTV cameras, and also have solar light all through the entire route of the project.”
The idea, he continued, “is that we will be able to put security on our roads, and then we have a station at the relief center, where they will stay and watch the vehicles, so that within 10 minutes of any incident along the route, the security people will be able to be there within 10 minutes response time. This is the idea of Mr. President, and for our major highways.”
The Secretary of the committee, Mrs. Ugwu-Chima Nnennaya, while collaborating the statement of the minister, stated that “the inauguration was part of the statutory responsibilities of the Federal Ministry of Works which has the mandate to attract private sector funding for the development and management of Federal road network through the Highways Development and Management Initiative.”
According to her, "the HDMI is expected to, among others, bring order, accountability, and profitable entrepreneurship to the operations, management, and maintenance of Federal Highways.” She maintained that “it is consistent with the provisions of the ICRC Establishment Act 2005; National Policy on Public-Private Partnership (“N4P”); Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy of August 2021 and Federal Highways Act CAP. 135, 1971, which grants the Honourable Minister of Works the power to administer Tolls on Federal Highways."
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