Street lights on Lagos-Benin expressway…
July 2nd, 2008 | Published in Governance, Nigeria | 5 Comments
Having an illuminated expressway in Nigeria sounds cool, right?
The Federal Government has earmarked over N50 million to illuminate the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to avert accidents and improve the security situation.
The federal controller of works, Mr. Tunde Ekunsumi, who revealed this to newsmen in Lagos said the light up plans would not only give the motorists a pleasurable ride on the road , but would also raise the standard of the road to international standard. Source
I smell a rat!
Of what use is an illuminated road if it runs hundred of miles through the jungle, full of deep potholes and poorly maintained?
Just as it is anywhere in the world, public properties are prone to vandalism, and Nigeria is no exception.
In fact, vandalism and theft of public amenities such as street lights, electric and telephone cables is endemic in Nigeria; vandals and thieves run willy-nilly everywhere, even when their targets are located within city limits and highly visible. Lagos is an example: All light fixtures along the longest bridge in Nigeria, the 3rd Mainland bridge, have been vandalized. Several thousands of vehicles cross this bridge daily.
Having street lights along the expressway is not just creating easy targets for vandals, the rationale is flawed.
From my experience, roads are illuminated mostly when located within city limits - not when they run several miles through a no-man’s land. And the way to ‘raise the standard of the road to international standard’ in Nigeria is not embanking on projects that makes little or no sense, but by ensuring roads are in good condition, all the time.
The whole project is nothing but a gimmick to enrich some pockets, I’m convinced.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:48 am (#)
Growing up in Ibadan I recall asking my mum on the way to school one day, “what happened to all the street lights” and she informed me that a few robbers stole the street lights the night before. This was right in the middle of city. Those were days when there was still an element of sanity left.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm (#)
Oz you took the words out of my mouth for my first consideration when I read this was the issue of daylight and night robbers cannibalising the street lights. Wouldnt it make more sense for the government to repair the roads, ensure adequate road safety patrols to remove broken down vehicles and road marshalls to arrest drivers of dangerous vehicles and wreckless drivers? After this then we can move on to the issue of street lights (which I note is not a bad idea as long as electric fences are built round each)?
Or has a friend to a friend of someone in the right place proposed this as a lucrative project? This is a concern for then it does not put safety and protection of human lives first.
July 5th, 2008 at 11:30 am (#)
[…] Having Street lights on Lagos-Benin expressway… …also raise the standard of the road to international standard. Source … fixtures along the longest bridge in Nigeria, the 3rd Mainland bridge […]
July 7th, 2008 at 11:53 am (#)
They should repair the road. Simple.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:20 am (#)
Even if the lights are up, what will power them? Is it stable electricity from Ghana or badly-supplied electricity from the national grid.
They might consider solar panels too. That will be cool for those who will vandalise them after one month of installation.
God help Nigeria