Coastal Road: FG To Charge ₦3,000 On Average Per Toll Gate – Umahi

The Federal Government has announced plans to institute a toll fee of ₦3,000 for vehicles passing through the toll gates along the Lagos-Calabar coastal road upon its completion.

This revelation was made by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday.

Umahi said, “Let me leave out the infrastructure along the corridor. Let me just concentrate on the tolls and I put 50,000 vehicles as an average passage on these toll points per day.

“I put ₦3,000 as an average cost. ₦3,000 because the cars could be like ₦1,500, and the big trucks could be like ₦5,000.

“So, we put an average.”

However, the former Ebonyi governor, who said the project would cost N15bn, believes that with the tolling plan, that money would be recouped in 15 years.

“In 15 years, you make back the money,” he said, dismissing claims that the road’s budget was high.

Naija News understands that Umahi’s revelation comes days after the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, criticized the decision of President Bola Tinubu to kickstart the construction of the 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.

Atiku in a statement on Sunday through his spokesperson, Paul Ibe, queried why the project is shrouded in so much secrecy.

The former Vice President said the coastal highway project would lead to the loss of jobs and investments, which is not what Nigerians need at a time when the population is battling with inflation.