On April 1, 2022, Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCC), a company 100% owned by the Lagos State Government (LASG) since 2014, resumed tolling on the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge. Its public statement said there would be two weeks of grace and tolls will be collected starting Saturday, April 16, 2022.

Unfortunately, matters relating to the #EndSARS protest, which led to the termination of tolling activities in the first place, remain unresolved and any additional triggers increasing the burden of citizens could produce unexpected outcomes. 

Of the 32 recommendations made by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry (JPI) on the Lekki Toll Gate Shooting, 11 were accepted; 6 were accepted with modifications; 14 were forwarded to the Federal Government and 1 was rejected. LASG has not engaged Lagosians on the recommendations nor made concrete plans to deal with the underlying factors that led to the protests.

A summary of Nigeria's current socio-economic reality:

• According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) / National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 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.
• Consumer Price inflation (CPI) is currently at 15.70% resulting in increasing cost of food compounded by increased cost of electricity, fuel and diesel prices.
• Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is on strike, meaning students are at home, with other unions threatening to go on strike. 

Rather than work to seek peace, Lagos State is actively working through LCC to inflict more suffering and hardship as it denies its citizens justice.

Our Demands

1. Do not start collecting toll on Saturday, April 16th.
2. Make public the White Paper on the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police Brutality and the implementation plan for the recommendations.

The Lagos State Government can NOT ignore what happened on October 20, 2020 and the rising insecurity as the finances of the state remain opaque.

EiE is a non-partisan network of individuals and organizations committed to building a culture of good governance & public accountability in Nigeria through active citizenship

Website: www.eienigeria.org

Twitter: @EiENigeria