. ……...to Submit Report Within 2 Weeks
As part of the ongoing efforts of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to revolutionize road infrastructure development around the country and to stimulate economic growth, the Minister of Works, Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi has inaugurated a committee on the implementation of Cashless Tolling System for Abuja-Keffi Expressway and Dualization of Keffi-Akwanga-Markurdi road.
At the inauguration ceremony held at the Ministry’s headquarters, Mabushi, Abuja today 17th October 2024, the Honourable Minister of Works 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 Minister delved into the funding history of the Keffi-Akwanga-Markurdi road, stressing that, “part of the agreement 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 Minister who used the opportunity of the inauguration to, once again, commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the vast strategic economic recovery initiatives of his administration, urged the committee to leverage on the 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.
Shedding more light on the assignment he enjoined the committee to make appropriate recommendations to ensure a comfortable ecosystem around the expressway.
He said “We must also, as part of the assignment, develop relief stations. Relief stations is 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 of Mr. President is that we should have a maximum of 10 minutes of response time on our Highways, meaning 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. And so, 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 Head PPP Unit, Federal Ministry of Works, Mrs. Ugwu-Chima Nnennaya, had earlier in her welcome remarks, 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 (HDMI).
She said, “The HDMI is expected to, among others, bring order, accountability, and profitable entrepreneurship to the operations, management, and maintenance of Federal Highways.”
This according to her is consistent with the various extant laws “which grants the Honourable Minister of Works the power to administer Tolls on Federal Highways.”
Chairman of the committee, Hajia Jummai Katagum thanked the Minister of Works on behalf of the Committee for the opportunity to serve the nation in that capacity noting the onerous scope of the assignment and assured of their profound commitment to the assignment.
She said, “We thank you, Honourable Minister, for giving us this opportunity to serve our nation.
The committee which comprises members drawn from the Federal Ministres of Works, Finance, Budget and National Planning, Justice as well as Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has the Head, PPP Federal Ministry of Finance, Haj. Jummai Katagum and the Head PPP Unit, Federal Ministry of Works, Mrs. Ugwu-Chima Nnennaya as Chairman and Secretary, respectively.
The committee has within two (2) weeks to submit its report.