Heavily armed security operators have been deployed to the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge as tolling is set to resume at the toll gate.
Recall that tolling had stopped at the bridge and at Lekki Tollgate after the October 2020 #EndSARS protest against police brutality.
Lekki Concession Company Limited had announced last month that there will be no going back on re-opening the Tollgate.
However, Lekki Estate Residents and Stakeholders Association rejected the move adding that the timing was wrong because of the prevailing hardships in the country.
Speaking on the meeting that was held on Wednesday, Popular Online Comedian, Mr. Macaroni tweeted;
“We are living at the LCC and StakeHolders Meeting. The Lekki Estate Residents and Stakeholders Association Chairman has announced the decision of all Residents which is NO TO TOLLING!!!!!”
“All of us present here have spoken! And not one resident is in support of tolling. The timing is wrong, The people are going through a lot of hardship at the moment! We hope the Lagos state government will do the right thing here and suspend the resumption of Tolling. Nooooo!”
Also in a letter to the state Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, LERSA explained that resuming tolling could lead to ‘unexpected outcomes’.
“Let’s first paint a picture of the current reality being faced in the socio-economic environment: According to the Central Bank of Nigeria/National Bureau of Statistics, unemployment is at 33% while youth unemployment is at a staggering 42.5%; and when you add youth under-employment, you have 63.5% of youth either unemployed or underemployed.”
“Also, Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) is currently at 15.70% resulting in increasing cost of food compounded by the increased cost of electricity, fuel, and diesel prices. In addition to all of this, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is on strike, meaning students are at home, with other unions threatening to go on strike.”
“It is therefore evident that with elections around the corner combined with Nigeria’s precarious socio-economic climate, any additional triggers increasing the burden of citizens could produce unexpected outcomes.”
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