Motorists lament long delays at Keffi-Lafia toll gates over cashless payment woes

Drivers plying the Keffi-Lafia-Akwanga-Makurdi highway have voiced frustration over prolonged delays at the newly introduced toll gates, citing the lack of cash payment options as a major setback.

The toll collection system, inaugurated last week by Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, imposes fees ranging from N500 to N1,600 per vehicle at each of the four plazas. However, reliance on Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals has resulted in significant bottlenecks due to an inadequate number of devices and frequent transaction failures.

Godwin Selumum Mnyamchie, a motorist, reported being stranded for over 30 minutes due to failed PoS transactions. “Why should someone spend more than half an hour at just one toll gate because of network failures? And there are four of them! The government needs to do better,” he told DailyTrust, advocating for a card-based system to streamline payments.

Another driver, Abdullahi Adokwe, described waiting nearly an hour in a queue, attributing the delay to persistent PoS network issues. Similarly, Samuel Akala criticized the flawed payment system, stating that while motorists support tolling for road maintenance, the current method is unsustainable. “In this era, those managing the toll system should be knowledgeable enough to implement a more efficient process,” he remarked.

In response to the backlash, Minister Umahi expressed dissatisfaction with the system and ordered the concessionaire, China Harbour Operations and Maintenance Company (CHOMC), to increase collection points, deploy more PoS devices, and establish rest areas for affected motorists.