The Governor of Niger State, Rt. Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago, has called for the reintroduction of toll gates and the enforcement of weight limits on highways in Nigeria.
This, Bago said, would prevent overloading and damage to road infrastructure.
The governor, who made this call during a visit to the Director General of the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Mamman Ahmadu, in Abuja, expressed concern over the continuous deterioration of roads caused by overloaded trucks and articulated vehicles.
According to him, road users should pay fees for the yearly maintenance of roads.
Governor Bago disclosed his intention to present this issue to the leadership of the National Economic Council (NEC).
He said, “Nigeria must resume the regime of toll gating, we cannot continue as a country to fix roads and the people who are into overloading will continue to damage our roads. So people should pay money for using road infrastructure so that the proceeds can be used to maintain the roads year in and year out. We will take it up with the National Executive Council leadership.
Governor Bago also revealed his intention to propose the establishment of a National Policy on weighbridges to address the unregulated volume of goods being transported on Nigerian roads.
Earlier, the Director General of the Bureau for Public Procurement, Mamman Ahmadu, expressed his concern over the poor condition of road infrastructure in Niger State, particularly the federal roads.
According to him,” A lot needs to be done by both the federal and state governments in terms of road development”.
Governor Bago was accompanied by key government officials during the visit.
