Every Federal Road in Lagos State and other parts of Nigeria would now be exempt from paying Right of Way (RoW) charges, for two years, as part of efforts to boost Nigeria’s digital economy, the Federal Government has said.
There are several tens of national roads in the busy city, including roads in areas such as: Ojota, Ikorodu Marina, Akpongbon, Herbert Macually, Osborne road, Badagry, Apapa, among others.
Announcing this yesterday, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, said that the waiver would be held till December 2022, to facilitate ease of doing business in Nigeria.
The minister said that the initiative is being pursued in partnership with the Ministry of Works and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
Pantami said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was doing everything to ensure that the most populous black nation transits successfully to a digital economy.
He said, “Right of Way (RoW) charges will not be collected on federal highways from now till December 2022. It is part of the COVID-19 palliatives. This is also to aid the country’s digital development and the 70 per cent broadband target of 2025. This will equally assist SMEs in the country. It is pertinent that we make the environment conducive for business survival,” he stated.
He reiterated the need for state governments to support the advocacy, emphasizing that telecommunications operators should oppose anything above N145 per linear meter for broadband.
The minister said a consensus had been reached between his ministry and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to stick to the benchmark.
In his remarks, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Niyi Adebayo, acknowledged that the virus had adversely affected economies and businesses globally.
He noted that the telecoms industry, as at the first quarter of this year, contributed about 10.88 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with subscribers’ growth witnessing a 7.56 per cent leap in the last one year.
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