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FG Reintroduces Toll Gates on Highways, Releases Fees for Vehicles
Federal government is now set to reintroduce toll collections on some selected dual carriageways across the country, according to Babatunde Fashola, minister of Works and Housing.
Fashola, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided by vice president Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday.
According to him, FEC approved for tolling to be reintroduced on dual carriageways of the 35,000 kilometers federal roads.
He added that dual carriageways represent only 5,050 kilometers out of the total 35,000 kilometers.
He said, “the Ministry of Works and Housing presented a policy memorandum for the approval of federal roads, bridges, tolling policy, and also a regulation that will provide the legal framework for the tolling policy.
“You recall that about two years ago, you had asked me several here when roads will be rolled. And I told you, there’s a lot of work. So we have taken another step. So let me be clear, tolls are not going to start tomorrow. So let us be clear about that.
“But the big step to actual tolling was taken today by presenting for approval the broad policy that will guide the tolling so that local people, states, local governments, all those who manage roads, investors who want to come in, will know what our tolling policy is. And that will form the basis of their financial modeling, their investment decision.
“Now, when will it start? First of all, the tolls will not start until roads are motorable. So let’s be clear about those.
“There will be agreements that have to be placed, negotiated with the government through the Ministry of Works and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission.
“So but the highlights of the policy, I think is what I would like to share. Some of the highlights are that we will adopt an open tolling policy as distinct from a closed tolling policy.
“The difference is that only open tolling policy, which is what we were used to before. you pay to at a barrier over a fixed or predetermined distance. The close toll systems mean that you will pay tolls over the distance you travel and the size of your vehicle. We haven’t operated that before. So we are going back to what we know.”
Stating that the government also approved that consultations must be done, Fashola said willingness to pay surveys must be done before specific roads are tolled.
“We presented and the council approved that only dual carriageways of the 35,000 kilometers should be eligible for tolling by the federal government. And dual carriageways represent only 5,050 kilometers out of 35,000 kilometers.
“So the total network of roads today, assuming we wanted to start today, which we’re not that will be eligible for tolling on the federal network will be 14.3% of the total network. So 85.27% will not be eligible for tooling.
“We have seen that most of those dual carriageways also have alternative roads, but they are single carriageways that’s why we left them. So the only exception to a single carriageway some bridges and they are listed in the regulation,” the Minister added.
He said the ministry also got approval that the toll will be used to maintain roads, to construct new roads as they accrue and also to pay the investors who invest in building or completing a road and then take a concession on it.
According to him, “We will also be going through a process of largely electronic toll collection and management system for audit and transparency. We’ll still have some cash at the very many more and hopefully phased that out as we go ahead.
“We have proposed and council has approved that certain types of vehicles be exempted for paying tolls. Those are bicycles, pedal cycles, try cycles, motorcycles, and other moves have two or three wheeled transport use mainly by disadvantaged members of our community, they will be entitled to a fully 100% exemption, as will be diplomatic vehicles and military and para military vehicles.
“We concede this as a national policy that’s why we’re making very general framework. So that states can also decide subject to their local laws, local government can do their own tolling based on all of these considerations as a broad framework?
“Well, how did we get here? We met with a lot of people, we met with government agencies first of all, but more importantly, we met with private sector and organised labour.
“Nobody that we met with oppose the idea of tolling, at least none of the people that we’ve met with opposed it. Some of people you might wish to know are members of the National Assembly, the Senate, and House of Reps committees oversighting us so that they can take this feedback to their constituents.
“We had consultations with the Office of National Security Advisor, Bureau of Public Enterprises, the Ministry of communication and digital economy, which will be helping us with the electronic and digital aspect of it.
“We also then met with those who are affected by the tolls themselves, Ministry of Transportation, who supervises a part of the transport business and then the road transport employers Association, the National Association of road transport owners (NARTO) and National Union Road transport workers (NUTRW) and Ministry of Trade and Investment, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection council. These are some of the people who have made very useful input which have been embedded in some policies that I have spoken about.”
Fashola noted that the ministry also recommended that people who live around toll plaza areas will benefit from what is called frequent user discounts so that because they will be mostly impacted, unlike people who just pass once in a while, saying it is global best practice around the world.
“So these are some of the highlights of the of the policy. And then we got his start off toll because certain investment decisions have to be made in the next few weeks.
“You remember I briefly about the HDMI, about the concession about 12 roads, spanning about 1000 plus kilometres. That process has kicked off we have about 70 something applicants who are waiting for a policy. So we need to have a kick off policy. So we’ve classified vehicles into five categories, the cars, the SUVs and the jeeps as a second category.
“Private bus and commercial bus as third and fourth categories. And then luxury buses and trucks as a fifth category.
“So the start off tolls that we have for financial modelling and investment decision making, cars will pay N200, SUVs and Jeeps will pay N300, private busses will pay N300, commercial buses will pay N150, luxury buses and trucks will pay N500.
“Now I think it is important to share with you how we arrived at these prices. Some of these prices were recommended by the operators themselves that I said we met. Some of them were also obtained from a survey we did across the six geopolitical zones, talking to households and talking to people in the garages, motor parks and all of that, which was quite extensive. We covered about 17 or so states or 22 states out of the national framework just to get a sampling of what people felt.
“So in terms of comparison, for example, we also looked at the tolls being paid at Lekki, Ikoyi bridge and the Lagos airport, Abuja airport toll plazas as a basis for further comparison. And in doing that, we found that the N200 for cars for example, is the same as Lekki, Abuja airport Lagos airport but it is N50 cheaper than Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge.
“For the SUVs and Jeeps, ter N300 that we got approval for is the same as Abuja airport and Lagos airport and N100 cheaper than Lekki and Ikoyi toll bridges, those ones charged N400 for jeeps.
“Private bus is same as Lagos airport toll, N100 less than Lekki toll and Abuja airport toll. Commercial bus, which is the cheapest here in sensitivity to the most vulnerable members of our society the rate is not more than N150. This is N50 higher than the Lekki toll, because commercial buses are not frequent in this toll but it is N50 cheaper than the suggestion of the transport unions themselves. And it is equal to the maximum price that the willingness to pay survey picked up from the streets. Luxurious buses N500. This is the same as Lagos airport, but it is N500 cheaper than Lekki N200 more than the maximum gathered from the willingness to pay survey.
“The reason why we have no difficulty with this is because those are the vehicles, they are the heaviest axiel load and inflict the most impactful stress on our pavement.
“So this is the sum and substance broad line and then there is a tolling regulation, which now use regulatory framework to these policy based on the provisions of the Federal Highway Act, that allows the minister responsible for works to issue regulations that define policy of government with regards to roads,” he stated.
Chief Judges drawn from countries across the African continent have resolved to collaborate and support measures aimed at ensuring the success of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through an efficient, reliable and predictable dispute resolution system.
They agreed to explore ways to harmonize disputes resolution mechanisms in the continent with a view to making it easier and faster to resolve commercial disputes.
The resolutions formed part of the decisions taken at the third Africa Chief Justices’ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya between June 18 and 19.
According to a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Mr. Tobi Soniyi, the African judicial leaders were of the view that commercial confidence depends largely on legal certainty.
They emphasised how structured Alternative Disputes Resolution could enhance commercial justice, protect the business environment and support the AfCFTA.
In her contribution, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun urged called on African judiciaries to proactively prepare for emerging challenges to disputes resolution in the continent.
Justice Kekere-Ekun, who served as Co-Chair of the session on “Financial sector disputes, tax certainty and ADR: Building commercial confidence in Africa, noted that AfCFTA represents one of the most ambitious economic integration projects in modern history.
The CJN, who stressed the importance of a proactive Judiciary to the success of AfCFTA, warned that its success would depend, not only on trade protocols, tariff reductions and economic policies, but also on the strength and reliability of the institutions that support commerce.
Justice Kekere-Ekun urged her colleagues to examine how judiciaries in the continent, central banks, tax administrations and ADR institutions could work together to reduce uncertainty, prevent disputes, strengthen investor confidence and support the realization of AfCFTA’s objectives.
She envisaged the growth of intra-African trade to inevitably generate cross-border tax disputes; foreign exchange disputes; banking and payment system disputes; digital commerce disputes; enforcement of arbitral awards; recognition of foreign judgments; and disputes arising from regional supply chains.
The CJN, who said “African Judiciaries must proactively prepare for these emerging realities,” challenged African judicial leaders on the importance of disputes prevention mechanism.
She stated that modern commercial justice must move beyond the traditional focus on disputes resolution after conflicts arise.
“The most successful commercial systems are not those that generate the highest volumes of litigation but those that reduce the need for litigation,” she added.
Justice Kekere-Ekun, who stressed the importance of ADR, cautioned against seeing ADR as merely an alternative procedure.
She said ADR should rather be considered as a strategic tool for reducing transaction costs, preserving commercial relationships, enhancing investor confidence, reducing court congestion, improving ease of doing business and strengthening commercial certainty.
Sharing the Nigerian experiences, Justice Kekere-Ekun cited the recent decision by the Nigerian Supreme Court in the case of EMTS v. AFDIN Ventures Ltd. & Ors. (2026), which reaffirmed important principles of commercial certainty, including respect for arbitration agreements; recognition that consent may be inferred from conduct; judicial restraint from re-litigating arbitral disputes on the merits; and the importance of finality in arbitral awards.
According to her, the decision reinforced Nigeria’s position as an arbitration-supportive jurisdiction.
She identified timely resolution of tax disputes as an important factor in ensuring certainty and recommended Nigerian tax disputes resolution mechanism which she said “offers useful example of institutional reforms that support commercial certainty.”
Justice Kekere-Ekun recommended the Nigeria’s Tax Appeal Tribunal model, which she described as one of Nigeria’s most significant innovations.
According to Mr. Soniyi, Justice Kekere-Ekun’s message to his brother justices is clear: building an African commercial environment in which investors, businesses, regulators and citizens can transact across borders with confidence, secure in the knowledge that their rights will be protected and their obligations fairly enforced.
The summit advanced the goals of the African Chief Justices Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum (ACJADRF) to harmonize jurisprudence and establish common enforcement standards across the continent.
The CJN was, on the last day of the summit, nominated by the Chief Justice of Kenya as the Vice Chairperson of the Africa Chief Justice ADR Forum with effect from August 1, 2026. The nomination was ratified by the forum.
Twenty-one former Almajiri learners and street children are set to graduate as certified technology technicians under the Almajiri-to-Tech Initiative, a programme designed to equip vulnerable children with digital and entrepreneurial skills while addressing youth unemployment, poverty and insecurity.
The pioneer graduation ceremony is scheduled to hold on July 29 in Abuja, where the graduates will demonstrate practical skills, including assembling computers and drones, before government officials, development partners, members of the diplomatic community and the media.
The initiative was founded by technology education advocate, Mr Tim Akano, in partnership with New Horizons Nigeria, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training organisation.
According to the organisers, the programme seeks to provide practical solutions to the growing challenge of out-of-school children by combining technology education, entrepreneurship, mentorship and character development.
The organisers said the initiative had transformed children who previously had little or no exposure to technology into technicians capable of repairing laptops, desktop computers, mobile phones, power banks, electric fans, microwave ovens and other electronic devices.
They explained that the participants also received entrepreneurship training, mentorship, transportation support, daily meals, learning materials and professional work tools during the programme.
The organisers added that religious instructors from the participants’ respective faiths regularly visited the trainees to provide moral guidance, describing character development as a critical component of the initiative.
Unlike many vocational interventions that end with the presentation of certificates, the organisers said graduates of the programme would receive start-up support, while outstanding participants would be provided with professional work tools to establish their own businesses.
They also disclosed plans to launch a business directory and customer contact platform that would enable individuals, businesses and organisations to engage the services of the graduates.
Speaking on the initiative, Akano, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of New Horizons System Solutions Ltd., said the programme was conceived as a practical response to the challenges of youth unemployment, insecurity, poverty and irregular migration.
“You do not end migration by building higher walls. You do not defeat insecurity by relying only on military force, and you do not end poverty by preaching patriotism.
“You solve these challenges by building hope where hopelessness exists, equipping young people with practical skills, and creating opportunities where they live,” he said.
According to him, the pilot programme has demonstrated that children who have experienced neglect and exclusion can become innovators, entrepreneurs and contributors to national development when provided with quality education and opportunities.
He said one of the trainees, Mohammed, who arrived from the Niger Republic without speaking English, had acquired sufficient language proficiency within months to communicate confidently with customers while carrying out computer and electronics repairs.
Another participant, Fatima, discovered her interest in poetry during the programme and produced a poem celebrating New Horizons Nigeria, reflecting the broader personal development fostered by the initiative.
The organisers said the programme was inspired by concerns over the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, estimated at about 30 million, and the broader global challenge of millions of children without access to education.
They argued that investing in digital skills, entrepreneurship and mentorship for vulnerable children offers a sustainable approach to addressing poverty, insecurity, youth unemployment and violent extremism.
As part of efforts to sustain the programme, the foundation said it had established a fully equipped workshop known as “The Almajiri Republic Workshop” in Wuse II, Abuja.
The workshop, according to the organisers, will serve as a commercial repair centre where graduates can provide computer and electronics repair services while continuing to strengthen their technical expertise.
The foundation called on the Presidency, federal and state governments, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), members of the National Assembly, development partners, donor agencies, corporate organisations, civil society groups, religious institutions and other stakeholders to support the expansion of the initiative across Nigeria.
It maintained that scaling up the programme could transform millions of vulnerable children into skilled professionals capable of contributing to economic growth while reducing poverty, unemployment and insecurity.
The organisers said local and international media organisations, including CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera and ARISE News, had been invited to witness the graduation ceremony and the practical demonstrations by the pioneer graduates.
Accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption could increase Africa’s GDP by up to 4% over the next decade, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a report released on Tuesday, titled Africa Can Grow Faster With AI—If It Moves Now, economists from the IMF’s Africa Department say current levels of AI adoption and utilisation are expected to contribute just 0.2% to the region’s GDP over the next 10 years.
However, the report says stronger adoption, supported by the right infrastructure and policies, could raise the economic impact to about 4% by extending AI beyond today’s digitally connected firms.
Martin Schindler and other IMF economists say: “AI adoption in sub-Saharan Africa currently lags well behind every other region. If richer economies race ahead while African firms and governments lag, the productivity gap between the region and the rest of the world will only widen.”
Early signs of AI adoption are emerging across Africa, with countries including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria developing AI strategies.
Telecommunications operators, including Vodacom, Econet, Africell and MTN, are also integrating AI into their operations and networks.
Other examples include chatbots supporting teaching and learning in Nigeria and the South African Revenue Service’s use of data analytics for targeted tax audits.
However, the IMF says AI adoption must extend beyond these early use cases to deliver meaningful economic benefits.
“For the region, AI’s main promise is not about replacing office workers, but boosting productivity across the economy—helping informal firms manage inventory, enabling farmers to increase yields, and supporting mid-sized firms to transition to formality and export readiness,” the report reads.
The IMF is urging governments to prioritise investment in reliable electricity, affordable broadband, data infrastructure and digital skills to support wider AI adoption.
Many African countries, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, continue to face electricity shortages, while broadband services remain costly and coverage is uneven.
The Fund believes stronger investment in power, connectivity, regional data infrastructure and digital skills would help unlock AI’s economic potential.
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