Reps push for road concession to private sector

House of Representatives, on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government to concede the rehabilitation, maintenance, and management of federal roads to private investors and reintroduce toll gates as part of measures to ensure sustainable road infrastructure development, generate revenue, and strengthen national security.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Esosa Iyawe and three other lawmakers, who expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of federal highways and the limitations of relying on annual budgetary allocations to fund road rehabilitation and maintenance across the country.

Leading the debate, Hon. Iyawe stressed that an efficient road transportation network was fundamental to national economic development, trade facilitation, agricultural productivity, industrial growth, national security and the general welfare of citizens.

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The Edo lawmaker expressed concern that prolonged neglect, inadequate maintenance funding and increasing pressure from heavy-duty vehicles had contributed to the deplorable condition of several federal roads, resulting in avoidable accidents, loss of lives, vehicle damage, higher transportation costs and delays in the movement of goods and passengers.

He particularly highlighted the condition of major federal highways in Edo State, noting that the state occupied a strategic position as a transportation corridor connecting several parts of southern Nigeria with the South-South, South-East and northern regions.

According to him, critical routes, including the Benin-Lagos, Benin-Asaba, Benin-Warri and Benin-Okene highways, alongside other important roads, require urgent rehabilitation to restore their functionality and support economic activities.

Hon. Iyawe noted that the poor condition of the roads had adversely affected commercial activities, increased the cost of transporting agricultural produce and other essential commodities, discouraged investment and imposed significant economic hardship on residents, commuters and businesses operating in Edo State.

He observed that Federal Government’s reliance on annual budgetary allocations had not consistently delivered the level of infrastructure renewal required across the extensive federal road network, making it necessary to explore alternative financing and management arrangements.

The lawmakers therefore recognised that road concessioning through transparent Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements could attract private capital, technical expertise and efficient project management for the rehabilitation, operation and long-term maintenance of eligible federal highways while reducing the immediate financial burden on the government.

The lawmakers also supported the reintroduction of properly regulated toll gates on selected rehabilitated highways, noting that toll revenue could provide a sustainable mechanism for recovering private investments, financing routine maintenance, supporting road safety operations and generating revenue for the Federal Government.

While observing that toll plazas could create direct and indirect employment opportunities for host communities through toll administration, security services, traffic management, road maintenance, catering, retail businesses and other ancillary activities, he added that strategically located toll gates could also support lawful security operations, intelligence gathering, emergency response and the monitoring of vehicular movements, provided they did not become instruments of harassment or extortion.

However, the lawmakers emphasised that any tolling arrangement must be transparent, affordable and technologically efficient, with enforceable service standards to guarantee measurable improvements in road quality, safety and travel efficiency in return for payments by motorists.

Consequently, the House urged Federal Ministry of Works to develop and implement a comprehensive national framework for concessioning eligible federal roads to competent private investors under transparent PPP arrangements, prioritising highways requiring urgent rehabilitation and those serving as major economic and commercial corridors.

The House also directed Federal Ministry of Works, in collaboration with Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency and other relevant agencies, to assess the federal road network and identify highways suitable for concessioning, rehabilitation, operation and long-term maintenance.

The House further urged Ministry to reintroduce toll gates on selected highways after substantial rehabilitation, with charges determined through transparent economic assessments, public consultation and affordability considerations.

The lawmakers subsequently mandated the joint Committees on Public Assets, Works and Finance to engage relevant government agencies on the proposed framework, monitor its implementation and report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.