THE DISTRIBUTION OF FASHOLA's PLANNED TOLL GATES IN NIGERIA IS OUTRIGHT DISCRIMINATION

By Nwabunwanne David (Abia writers)

Edited by Solomon Elughaiwe

Let me start by defining what is meant by the word TOLL GATE; it is a point where the driver of a vehicle must pay a toll before proceeding further. More than ten years ago, precisely in 2004, the government of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo scrapped Toll Gates on federal Roads. Obasanjo said the gates had outlived their usefulness. The ex-president also claimed that the sixty-three million Naira generated by the gates was nothing to write home about and that it encourages corruption, constitutes inconveniences to motorists amomg other disadvantages.

But the Nigerian Government on Wednesday announced plans to return them. The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated this clearly while briefing the State House Correspondents after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council in Abuja. According to Fashola, the former Lagos State governor, no law stops the government from having toll gates on Federal Roads. And there is no reason why we can't toll. There was a policy of the government to abolish Tolls dismantled Toll Plazas, but no law prohibits tolling in Nigeria today. "We expect to return Toll Plazas, and we have concluded the designs of what they will look like, what materials they will be rebuilt with, and what new considerations must go into them. "What we are looking at now and trying to conclude is how the bank end runs." Speaking further, the Minister said that the government was considering eliminating payment through cash by introducing electronic mode of payment. 

Please allow me to ask a few questions to lower my anger, if it may, through that way. 

Where are the money from oil sales for many years and counting? What about all borrowed funds of the Federal government of Nigeria? What are they still looking to get more money from the masses to impoverish the populace of this land? What are their intentions and plans in all this? Is all this nonsensical nonsense practices and policies, development in their World? The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Yes, it is stinkingly very much immoral and should not be allowed to exist, in this land. 

Babatunde Fashola, the former governor of Lagos State, is a complete hater of the Igbos and Biafrans in general. During his tenure as governor, he destroyed Igbo's properties in Lagos, repatriated some Igbo men and insisted that Igbo are criminals. Though, apologized during his ministerial confirmation in the Senate because he was looking for a new offer then. This man is very unpatriotic, a sadist, an arch-enemy of Biafra. You can imagine giving the southeast 56 toll gates and the south-south 21 making it 77 in Biafraland where no Federal road is working. The Yorubas conspired with the Fulani in power to strangulate Biafrans economically. You don't like Biafrans but cannot do without Biafra, a bunch of sycophants. Just look at the distribution of the Toll gates, you will believe that these blind juggernaut in power do have evil plans against Biafra and this bunch of politicians from Biafraland are keeping mute.

Look at designated Toll Gates across Nigeria and tell me, that we are not marginalized.

South-East 56 Toll Gates

South-South 21 TollGate

South-West 22 Toll Gates

North-Central 14 Toll Gates

North-West 12 Toll Gates

North-East 9 Toll Gates

Why this rude insult to Ndigbo and Biafrans as a whole? We MUST have to resist this. Please look at my candid analogies:

Five states of SE with 56 toll Gates

Seven states of NW with 12 toll Gates 

Six states of NE with 9 toll Gates

Six states of NC with 14 toll Gates

Total Toll Gates in the 19 States of the North are 35

The irony of the whole thing is that SE with only 5 states has more Toll Gates of 56 than the entire 19 states of the North with 35 Toll Gates, higher by 21 Toll Gates. Who then can say that SE is not under siege and adequately exploited. 

SE has more Police and Military Checking Points than any other region in Nigeria. SE has the highest number of dilapidated Road networks than any other part of this contraption. 

Toll Gates in the South 99.

Toll Gates in the North 35.

Difference = 64.

One of the opposition parties, I don't want to mention the name, not give them cheap advertorial, said it has received with shock the decision of the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to reintroduce Toll Gate. "We note that the decision is coming at a time the government is also planning to increase Value Added Tax. "All these coming when the same government is reneging on its pre-2019 general elections promise to increase the national minimum wage to N30,000. The opposition parties view these insensitive economic policies of the Federal Government as deliberate decisions aimed at further impoverishing Nigerians who are already wallowing in abject poverty. 

I am not campaigning for any party, God forbid, and I will never do that. This government does not have the interest and welfare of the citizens at heart and does not deserve Nigerians' support. "We make bold to say that this government decided to embark on a desperate and crazy drive for revenue to cover up for national resources that have been squandered by top government officials in an administration that claims to be fighting corruption.

For this same reason, armed officials of the Nigeria Customs Service will throw caution into the winds and shatter the peace of Hotels and Car Marts under the guise of seizing smuggled Cars. "We urge this government to drop all its antipeople policies henceforth. We advise Nigerians to be fully prepared to resist and protest against any government policies that will further make their lives worthless. "Specifically, we urge the Federal Government to immediately rescind its decision to reintroduce Toll Gates on our Roads for the interest of peace." 

The North claimed to have the highest population and yet, will pay the lowest of the Toll Gate fees. Who said the marginalization of Biafrans is not real? Anything to do with Nigeria is complete nonsense and can never be fruitful. It is either Biafra restoration or nothing will exist in this country Nigeria. Delay may be very dangerous and somehow disheartening. 

All hail Biafra.