Lekki, Ape Residents Protest Toll Gates

Some residents of Lekki, Ajah and Epe, on Saturday protested the Lagos State Government’s decision to start the collection of tolls on Lekki/Epe Expressway, by Dec.18.

Our correspondent reports that Gov. Babatunde Fashola, had on Nov. 14, while presenting the 2012 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly, expressed support for the collection of tolls by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC).

He said the state had, so far, spent N4 billion as compensation to the LCC for suspending toll collections on the road.

The residents, in their hundreds, walked from Lekki Peninsula Phase 1 round about to toll plaza, carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs.

Some of the placards read “Where is the real Governor of Lagos State?” “Why not toll on Bourdillon Road,” “No to LCC/ High Tech” and “No to toll on Lekki axis.”

Others are “No payment for unfinished road,” “Three tolls in one Local Government? Madness,” and “We will not pay tolls to live or return to our homes.”

The protesters were trailed by members of the Nigeria Police Force who later shot teargas to disperse them because of the heavy traffic they had caused around the toll plaza.

The Chairman of the Lekki Peninsula Phase 1 Residents’ Association, Mr Wole Akala, who led the protest, told newsmen that government should not start the collection of tolls until a viable alternative route was created.

“It is totally premature for the government to start collecting tolls as the alternative route it created is in a private estate.

“Oniru is a private estate and people living there may close the road at any time to celebrate one thing or the other. It will expose us to the decisions of private individuals,” he said.

Akala said the alternative route could not take two cars at a time, noting that there would be chaos if the multitude of people decided to take that route.

“Government should suspend the collection of tolls and construct the road properly. It cannot use peoples’ money to build its road.

“It is an unpopular decision that should be reversed. Government is for the people and the people are saying that they do not have that kind of money to pay for three toll plazas,’’ he said.

Mr James Imadoye, Chairman of Brown Estate, said Oniru was not the route agreed upon in the contract, adding that the alternative road should be a coastal road.

“What we are saying is that Lagos State has a contract and a master plan for Lekki axis; they have deviated from this master plan.

“Both the contract and the master plan are subject to the Laws of Lagos State and the government should respect its own Law.

“We are also aggrieved that this is the only road they are putting toll plaza on. The government has renovated roads in Ikoyi, Orile and Surulere, why are there no toll plazas on those roads?.”

Dr Ronke Agoro, a resident, said the government had not justified why it should collect tolls on the road.

He said it only added a lane to the two lanes built by the former governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande.

“What have they done on the road that they are asking us to pay? The government wants us to pay for everything; meanwhile the minimum wage is just N18, 000. Are they asking us to go and steal,’’ he queried.