THE LEKKI-EPE EXPRESSWAY TOLL COLLECTION BROUHAHA
To residents, the series of protests they embarked on last year, which eventually resulted in the suspension of the toll, was a motivating factor, for this one, which was originally scheduled for January 3.
But an announcement by the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, last month, to lift the suspension, meant the residents had to pick up their placards, dust their mega phones and return to the streets, to register their displeasure again.
When the Lekki Concession Company (LCC), picked Sunday, December 18, as the start off date, residents intensified their agitation against the introduction of toll, calling on the government to suspend the move.
Vehicles approaching Lekki tollgate
To show their seriousness and the government’s insensitiveness to their call, residents trooped out in their thousands with placards on Saturday, a day before the start of official collection of toll, to show their non-approval of the toll take off.About 5000 residents had stormed the Admiralty Plaza as early as 7.00 a.m., Saturday morning blocking the dual carriageway, leaving only one lane for vehicular movement through the corridor. In a twinkling of an eye, there was a heavy presence of policemen deployed by the state government to curtail the activities of the protesters.
Their peaceful protest was however brought to an abrupt end when some thugs emerged from nowhere and started throwing sachets of water at the policemen.
In a defensive move, the anti- riot policemen, led by Commander of the state Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Hakeem Odumosu, fired tear gas canisters to disperse the teeming protesters.
The police allegedly threw canisters at the protesters arresting many of them in the process.
Daily Independent gathered that no fewer than 18 people were said to have been arrested by the police and taken to Maroko Police Station before they were later transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos.
Following this development, those that escaped arrest narrated their ugly experiences, saying the police and some unidentified miscreants manhandled and attacked them during the peaceful protest.
Two video cameras belonging to Sunday Alamba of Associated Press (AP) and Maxwell Kupe of Silver-Bird Television (STV); a tape recorder of Richard Edoki of Rhythm 93.7FM, were seized by unidentified miscreants belonging to one of the popular land owners in the area.
Among those arrested were, the Chairman of Lekki Phase I Residents Association, Wole Akala and another resident association Chairman, Martin Eze among other chairmen and residents.
A concerned resident and human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who had been in the forefront of the protest from last year, vowed that nothing would stop the aggrieved residents from continuing with their peaceful protests.
Adegboruwa also flayed the government for describing the protest as politically motivated challenging the government to come out and name any politician behind the ordeal.
“I am not a politician, neither am I affiliated to any party, I am prosecuting this case with my money, and I make bold to say that those arrested are residents. Government should admit that it is not politically motivated. One person has been confirmed dead and we put his death on the head of Governor Fashola,” Adegboruwa said.
But against all odds, the toll collection officially began on Sunday morning, precisely by 12.00 midnight as Director General Office of Public Private Partnership (PPP), Ayo Gbeleyi, led other state government officials and LCC directors to perform the opening.
Governor Fashola also visited the toll site at about noon on Sunday, driving himself through the traffic to join other motorists to pay the toll.
On Monday, motorists along the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway complied with the toll payment. They however lamented the huge traffic at the area since the start of toll collection on Sunday.
Daily Independent observed that the traffic stretched from the 1004 Estate to the toll collection point in the morning for motorists extending to Lekki, but eased gradually towards noon.
As at 3.00 p.m. same day, the traffic had shifted to the exit corridor for motorists going towards Nigerian Law School and Obalende axis.
Vehicles approaching Lekki tollgate
Some motorists, who spoke with Daily Independent, said the traffic situation in the area has worsened since toll collection began on the road, while some also pleaded with the government to consider a reduction in the toll.
A motorist, Emmanuel James, who said he plies the route twice everyday, said the traffic was not helped by the slow pace of the toll collectors to issue change to motorists, saying that it took him over 45 seconds to receive his balance of N380.
“Imagine if every car was to spend that same time for every time he passes that corridor, there will be massive traffic just like it’s the case now. The challenge of issuing change contributes to the traffic.”
Another motorist urged the government to consider a reduction of price of saloon cars from N120 to N100 to ease the challenge of issuing change.
“If the price for salon cars was N100 it would have been easier for the operators to issue a change of either N100, N400 or even N900, but looking for smaller denominations for almost every car that passes the toll will surely cause traffic on the road.
Motorcycle operators, popularly called okada riders also called for a reduction of the price charge from N50 to N20.
An okada operator said, “That N50 is too much because we can enter that place like 20 times every day going and coming, at the end of one day, we may end up paying like N1000. How much do we make in a day? We call on the governor to help us reduce the price to N20 or even nothing.”
For commercial vehicles, the development is likely to result in an increase in fare.
However as at Monday, registered commercial operators still charged N150 from Obalende to Jakande in Lekki.
A commercial bus operator, who gave his name as Subair Muftau, said the N80 charge was rather on the high side saying that N50 would have sufficed.
“The price we are paying may force us to increase our bus fare because we pass this place many times. Like me, I can pass here like eight times every day, so very soon; we might have no choice than to increase the fare,” Muftau said.
Responding to the traffic build-up caused by the toll, Fashola, who on Sunday led scores of motorists to ply and pay toll on the corridor said, “Really, it is the change. Every time we have had to adapt to something new, there is always some discomfort. The day GSM started, there were so many drop-calls that you could not connect. But within a few days, there were feedbacks which made it easy for the operators to rectify the situation and make it better.”
“We need feedbacks. What is the problem? Feedbacks will help us and the concessionaire to adapt and respond. We are here to serve, that is our job. Anywhere the shoe pinches you, tell us and leave us to solve it and make it better,” Governor Fashola said.
The governor, however, appealed to motorists to use the electronic tag instead of paying cash at the Plaza pointing out that the process of paying cash and obtaining change contributes to the delay and the consequent slow movement of traffic.
“You get a discount for even buying the electronic tag and you get the discount immediately,” Fashola said adding, “I am sure we will all be telling a better story in a few weeks time.”
The governor, who noted that there are some people who are aggrieved by the tolling, declared, “But that is democracy; there must be another side,” adding, however, “This is also employment. The Concessionaire is a Nigerian company with international investments. They are employing our people.”
On the issue of alternative routes, Fashola said the government has indeed provided an alternative route contrary to the accusation by some people that there is no alternative route.
“Of course, there is an alternative road; we are increasing them. The story out there before was that there was no alternative road, but you have seen for yourselves that there is alternative road. We will make it better and increase it as we go on,” the governor said.
So far, residents are complying with the payment of tolls. But their sudden silence should neither be taken for granted. How it will eventually play out, only time will tell.
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