By Emmanuel Ogbodo
Motorists plying the newly dualised Abuja-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Expressway have decried the financial burden of multiple toll points along the 227-kilometer route, despite acknowledging the improved road quality delivered by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
The Federal Government owes CHEC $460.8 million for the project, funded through a loan from China Exim Bank.
While the upgrade has enhanced travel efficiency, drivers complain about the four toll gates along the Makurdi-Abuja stretch, each charging N500, amounting to N2,000 per trip and N4,000 for a round trip.
Commercial drivers, including Terfa and David from Benue Links, lament that transport fares remain unchanged, leaving them to bear the toll costs without reimbursement.
They are calling on the Federal Government to reduce toll points to one or two and implement a receipt system to prevent multiple charges on a single journey.
While the project has been praised for its quality, stakeholders argue that the excessive tolling undermines its economic benefits, urging authorities to adopt a fairer toll collection system that balances infrastructure funding with motorists’ financial realities.
