Citing lack of consultations with relevant stakeholders, Lagos State government has halted proposed tariff hike on Lekki-Epe Expressway and Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC).
The suspension, government said, was necessary till consultations with the stakeholders are concluded.
Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde said in a statement that, while government recognises need for periodic review of tariffs and any other levies appertaining to road infrastructure maintenance in the state, the public and critical stakeholders, as the ultimate beneficiaries of such facilities, must always be carried along.
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He explained that the proposed tariff hike couldn’t be effected now in public interest, while further consultations continue.
It would be recalled that LCC, concessionaire to the busy Lekki-Epe Expressway, recently announced hike on Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge and Lekki-Epe Expressway tolls, which was to become effective on November 8.
The LCC said the new tariff for saloon cars at the Admiralty Circle Plaza (along Lekki-Epe Expressway) would be N200, from N120; sports utility vehicles will pay N400, from N300, while commercial buses will pay N150 from N80.
At the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, saloon cars will now pay N300, from N250; sports utility vehicles, mini vans, and light trucks N400, from N300.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
