Not too long ago, residents of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, were lamenting about dark unlit highways in the ferritory. They claimed that the government didn’t care about security and making life easy for them.
This is in spite of the millions of naira that had been spent in the purchase of generating sets and high cost of maintenance and diesel to power the generators.
This was not to talk of vandals cutting off cables and ensuring darkness on the highway so as to enable them commit their atrocities.
But today, residents and visitors to the nation’s capital are singing a new tune.
All thanks to the leadership of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, for massive installation of solar powered streetlights in and around the city centre and the suburbs.
With the massive deployment of installation, the rate and frequency of crime has no option but to drop drastically. The stealing of light cable has become a thing of the past. Marauders that take pleasure in operating in dark alleys of the highways have no option but to look for other positive means of survival.
Now, decent people can move around, driving from one end of the town to another, without fear of nocturnal crimes being committed against them.
Besides lightening up the city, it will also curb criminal activities of the undesirable elements, who capitalise on the shortfall in the electricity supply to vandalise public utilities.
Before the new trend of solar powered streetlights, the FCTA has lost millions of naira to the vandals,who mainly operate at night to cart away man hole covers, electricity cables, bridge rails, among other public facilities.
Now one can drive through and around Gwarinpa (Life Camp) down to the link to the airport highway. So is Kado district.
Not to be left out are Nyanya where residents are equating the reconstructed highway from Mogadishu Barracks to the boundary line of FCT with Nasarawa state by Mararaba Gurku as heaven on Earth. One can drive from one end of the highway in less than 10 minutes instead of the hitherto one hour.
The difference between day and night is not much noticed any more in Nyanya, Karu and Kugbo mechanic and Kugbo furniture up unto Mogadishu Barracks, thanks to the solar powered streetlights.
Other immediate beneficiaries in the latest drive to illuminate the nation’s capital include Jabi, Wuse 1, Garki 1 and 2 district and Apo Resettlement.
The FCT police command is not left out, just as Special Weapon and Tactical Team, SWAT, office, which used to house the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, and some other selected Police facilities in the FCT so as to enhance the crime fighting capacity of the command.
It was learnt that FCTA decided on the solar system because of the epileptic power supply to some critical areas in the territory.
The solar system has put paid to the millions of naira being spent on maintenance and fueling of the generating sets to power the hitherto street lights and other sensitive areas in the territory.
However concerned about the reckless pulling down of these solar streetlights, the FCT Administration has called on motorists to drive with caution against destroying the solar powered streetlights that are costing the administration billions of naira to put them in place.
In the words of a resident in Nyanya, Mallam Musa Akwe, the Minister of FCT, Muhammad Bello, and his team need to be commended for the new innovation in making Abuja a worthy and befitting federal capital for Nigerians and foreigners resident in the territory.
Another resident in Apo Resettlement, Bulus Maiyaki ,said Abuja is indeed working and residents can now move around without fear of molestation 24/7.
Indeed with the installation of the solar powered streetlights, the face of Abuja is changing for good.
Adebayo is a public affairs analyst and a media consultant based in Abuja.
