**JUST IN** I won’t Allow States Toll Federal Roads – Jonathan.

 

**There is no need why we hand over roads to the states, any the states later sell the to the private person, who will be taxing Nigeria via too gate. No! I don’t accept that.

President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday that the Federal Government would not allow any state government to erect toll gates on any of its roads, even as he commended Ogun State for providing investors conducive atmosphere for the tranquility which is a boost for investment.

The President, who spoke while commissioning Wempco Steel Mill at Magboro, Ogun State, also stressed that the Presidency would soon come out with a clear blueprint on toll gates.


President Goodluck Jonathan who was reacting to the Ogun State Government’s request on the Federal Government to allow the state build its own part of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and probably toll it because of its economic potentials, rejected the demand outrightly. “If some state governments want to give out Federal Government roads to private persons for the purpose of tolling we say, No!,” he said.

The President noted further that any state governments that have money to fix roads within their domains could as well go ahead and do so provided they are not considering any refund from the Federal Government. “But if the road is to be given out to a private person for tolling, then the Federal Government can also give it out to such person.

There is no need why the Federal Government will hand over the roads to the states, then the states in turn will hand over to the private person, No! We don’t accept that,” he maintained. President Jonathan who pleaded with Nigerians to bear with his government on the deplorable state of roads across the country, explained that the present government has commenced massive intervention on the roads and with the pace, may fix all of them in the next two years.

He said that the Federal Government would also not stop any state who wants to fix the federal roads within its territory, provided it follows due process.

His words: “There is no controversy at all about a state or local government intervening in any infrastructure. Anything owned by federal, state or local governments belongs to the people. I will emphasise that the ordinary Nigerians do not want to know whether it is the federal, state or local governments that did a road, all what Nigerians want are good roads.

“All what we are saying is that if you want the Federal Government to participate in terms of cost, then you must tell us, for us to pay, the procurement process must follow our due process law.”