The National Roads Fund Bill 2016 which seeks to provide for a Roads Fund as a repository for revenues accruing from road user related charges in addition to other sources for financing, rehabilitation, maintenance and other activities related to the provision of national roads has been passed for second reading.
Leading the debate on the Bill at the Senate plenary on Wednesday, 19th October, 2016, Sen. Kabiru Gaya (APC:Kano) explained that a road fund would ensure better value for money. According to him, the revenues for the Road Fund would be generated primarily from the percentage charge from fuel pump price, access fees for vehicles plying roads, supplementary heavy vehicle fee and fines for overloading. He also noted that the practice was already in existence in New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Ghana and the US who have been operating commercially managed road funds
Speaking on the importance of the Bill, Sen. Barnabas Gemade (APC: Benue) was of the view that the Bill was important to fund and service all roads owned by the three tiers of Government (Federal, States and Local Governments) unlike the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA)whose funds are restricted to the management of Federal roads.
However, Sen. Shehu Sani (APC:Kaduna) took a different stance mentioning that it was funding and not the multiplicity of agencies that was the solution to road challenges. Sen. Nelson Effiong (PDP:AkwaIbom) was also against the Bill’s passage arguing that the Bill duplicatedthe law establishing (FERMA).
Nevertheless and despite the observations, stated,the bill was passed for second reading and referred to the Committee on Works after passing the requisite voice vote.
