Senate C’ttee Recommends N5 Fuel Price Increase for Road Maintenance

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

The Senate Committee on Works has recommended a N5 fuel levy on every litre of petroleum or diesel imported into Nigeria, as part of financing for the proposed National Roads Fund.

If the recommendation is adopted, it would cause an increase to the pump price of petrol from N145 per litre, to N150.
The committee, chaired by Senator Kabiru Gaya, also recommended the deduction of 0.5 per cent on fares paid by passengers travelling on inter-state roads to commercial mass transit operators.

These recommendations are contained in the report of the committee on the bill for the establishment of the National Roads Fund.
Other recommendations include International Vehicle Transit Charges, Roads Fund Surcharge of 0.5 per cent chargeable on the assessed value of any vehicle imported at any time into Nigeria, 10 per cent from toll fees on federal roads and 10 per cent of revenue accruing from lease or license or other fees pertaining to non –vehicular road usages along any federal road collected by federal roads agency.

The report stated that the road fund is being proposed to address the poor and inadequate funding of road infrastructure in the country. It added that the fund would serve as repository of revenues collected from road user related charges, and others modes of financing of roads, which shall be managed and administered for routine and periodic maintenance works on roads in the country.

“Inappropriate funding for the management of the road infrastructure leads to delayed or insufficient maintenance of roads, leading to the premature failure of assets and results in construction costs for routine and periodic maintenance,” it read. The report was listed for consideration, on the Senate’s order paper for thursday.
It was however deferred to the next legislative day –Tuesday – due to time constraint.
It was endorsed by 12 out of the 15-member committee.

The members who endorsed the report are Senator Gaya, Senator Clifford Ordia, Senator Barnabas Gemade, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa , Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Senator Ben Bruce, Senator Gilbert Nnaji, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Senator Ibrahim Danbaba, Senator Mustapha Bukar, Senator Sani Mustapha and Senator Buruji Kashamu.

The signatures of Senator Olusola Adeyeye, Senator Biodun Olujimi and Senator Ahmad Ogembe, were not appended to the report, which was distributed to lawmakers yesterday.