Fashola Lifts Ban On Lekki Toll Collection print


Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State has lifted the suspension placed on the collection of toll on the Lagos-Epe expressway.

Announcing this during his budget presentation, Governor Fashola stated that he had formally lifted the suspension on the collecttion of toll on the expressway because government could no longer bear the huge financial outlay used in constructing the road.

Following this, the governor directed the Lekki Concession Company, LCC to fix a new date to begin the collection.

The government was forced to suspend the collection of toll on the expressway last year when residents of Lekki protested vehemently against the planned introduction.

Giving reasons for his action, Governor Fashola disclosed that the government had spent N4 billion this year alone in paying part of the toll which the people in the area refused to pay. He described it as a huge burden on the government.

“The politically motivated resistance to the commencement of toll collection on the Eti-Osa, Lekki-Epe Expressway means that your government had to part with N4 billion for year 2011 which could have been used to provide more schools, inner roads, hospitals and social needs in Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe areas.

“This decision was sensible and necessary in order to maintain much needed and growing investor confidence in the Lagos economy, in order to maintain our credit rating and reduce our credit risk.

“It was critical to maintaining the stream of emerging investments required to create business opportunity and jobs for young people,” he said.

He added that “regrettably however, our financial realities cannot sustain such funding to the detriment of other developments that are crying out for funding in other parts of the state.

“It is undeniable that property values have risen in that area because of the road work on Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway; we have also recently completed the Falomo ramp. It is only fair that the investors begin to collect their toll.”

“I accordingly lift the suspension on toll collection and leave the concessionaire to announce the date for commencement of tolling.”

Reacting to the lifting of suspension of toll on the expressway, Assistant Director, Contact and Mobilisation, Lekki Estate Resident and Stakeholders Association, LASA, Andrew Eretan, described the move as anti-social and anti-people, saying that the residents would resist the new

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