Collection of fees at Lekki-toll gate unavoidable – Omotoso

The Lagos State Government, said on Wednesday that it would soon resume the collection of fees at Lekki toll gate saying that Lekki Concession company which is in charge of the tollgate, has debts worth billions of naira to pay to both local and foreign lenders and investors.

LCC owes local lenders about 11.6bn and foreign lenders $31.1m, commissioner for information Gbenga Omotoso has revealed.

The tollgate began operations in 2011 with the LCC charging users of the Lekki-Epe expressway a toll fee in spite of resistance and protests from Lekki residents.

The tollgate was, however, shut down, together with the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, following the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, which saw men of the Nigerian Army open fire on unarmed, flag-bearing protesters at the toll plaza.

TNG recalls that LCC will begin operation at the toll plaza by April 1st and re- introduce collection of fees by April 15th.

Omotoso explained that the decision to start operation at the Lekki toll gate was taken after meetings and consultations with residents’ association of the area, transporters, and traditional rulers, adding that there would not be any form of resistance.

“The first time that LCC went to the place, it was not just to open the place and begin to collect toll, it was just for the company to go there and see the kind of damage to its equipment and how such damage can be redressed. And not for them to go there and begin to toll.

“Even this one, you would agree with me, has taken about 18 months for LCC to plan to return to the toll gate because it has no choice after owing local lenders about N11.6bn and foreign lender about $31.1m. So, there is no way that LCC can just stay away from going back to tolling on that road,” he said.