By Daniel Tyokua
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, flagged off the installation of streetlights across the territory, signaling the commencement of light up Abuja.
He said the initiative is aimed at providing steady light on all roads during night hours, and curbing of criminal activities.
Wike stated that without streetlights, Abuja will be vulnerable to insecurity.
He said the contractor will install and manage the streetlights that come with security features for a period of five years.
“So it has been a sense of concern for me and my team. But we felt that we must take up the challenge. When we came on board August 2023, one thing anybody who visits Abuja or who resides in Abuja will identify that almost 80% of the entire city is in darkness.
“There was this issue of insecurity when we came on board. So we are trying to see how do we tackle this issue. If we continue to leave Abuja in darkness, obviously insecurity will increase. So we decided to do what we can and what was available”.
On tackling vandalism and sabotage, the minister revealed that the new streetlights will come equipped with surveillance features, enabling authorities to identify and apprehend anyone attempting to damage or steal the lights.
“Another sabotage will come from the criminals. Criminals will not believe that it will be difficult for them to go and steal cables, it will be difficult for them to vandalize the poles because now there will be security features.
“They will know it will no longer be easy, and It will no longer be business as usual. So they will have their own style of campaign. Let me assure everybody that our security agencies will work in synergy with the companies to make sure that this project is being protected”.
