VIPs should also pay tollgate fares

THE Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, has moved to compel politicians, government, and military personnel, including heads of ministries, departments and agencies and other security services to pay the mandatory fares at tolled airport access roads. This is long overdue. Also welcome, is the minister’s resolve to subject himself to the measure. Keyamo insisted that earlier exempted VIPs, ministers, military officers, and others do not have ‘free pass’ and must pay to optimise the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and others’ revenue. The declaration should be rigorously enforced.

Keyamo projected that the MMIA could generate N250 million monthly from tollgate fees charged on vehicles commuting through its access road. It could be higher, say observers, given the high volume of traffic at the country’s premier airport. Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, operator of the MMA Lagos Terminal 2, disclosed that the MMIA serviced 5.9 million passengers between 2021 and 2022, and over one million in 2023.

Nigerian government officials and security personnel assume that the law, rules, and regulations, including payment of fees, fares and levies must not apply to them. Even when tolling is run by private companies through concession agreements, the entitled officials refuse to pay. They apply force when challenged. They extend the attitude even to private malls.

To raise revenue to maintain and expand infrastructure, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria tolls some airport access roads and has over the years engaged private firms to manage the toll stations. It terminated one such concession arrangement in 2020 because the concessionaire failed consistently to meet its monthly revenue target.

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One of the reasons cited was that VIPs, including the staff of FAAN, MDAs, security, and other aviation sector agencies refused to pay.

In 2015, a Directorate of State Services personnel passing through the MMIA refused to pay the N300 fare for his SUV and assaulted the toll collector. Such impunity persists because offenders are rarely reprimanded.

There should be an attitudinal change. Public revenue is not keeping up with expenditure. The government has been spending almost all its revenue servicing debts and keeps on borrowing.

Yet, experts say fiscal leakages cost the government between N14 trillion and N30 trillion annually in lost and uncollected revenues, including in the aviation sector.

In August 2022, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said that airline operators owed it, FAAN, and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency a combined N42 billion, and $7.8 million on the statutory ticket and cargo sales charges. Amid counter-claims, FAAN in 2021 said Bi-Courtney owed it N14 billion in unremitted revenue. Similarly in October 2021, the Nigeria Customs Service threatened to impound 29 private jets whose owners refused to pay statutory import duties.

The government should be more serious. On existing and future tolled roads, toll collection should be outsourced through transparent bidding to eliminate unqualified influence peddlers and cronies. This will facilitate maximisation of revenue potential, provide funds for maintenance and expansion of infrastructure, and stimulate employment.

Everyone, save the police and security personnel specifically deployed there, must pay. Public and private organisations pay for or reimburse their personnel who incur expenses such as tollgate fares, accommodation, and transportation while on official assignment. It is unfair, and illegal to force businesses operating toll operations, FAAN, or other MDAs to bear the expenses of other agencies or individuals.

The government should reduce cash transactions, and deploy electronic tags and cards, vouchers, digital payment systems, to achieve accountability and transparency.

Henceforth, VIPs must pay statutory toll fees.