Lagos govt says your dead street lights will soon be back on

Lagos is pitch black in most areas at night time these days. Lamp posts have gone rustic and dead; and the once heralded ‘Light Up Lagos’ project now appears to be as dead as dodo.

The darkness became really glaring and eerie soon after Babajide Sanwo-Olu succeeded Akinwunmi Ambode as governor of Lagos last May.

Inner city streets and major roads became swathes of darkness overnight and miscreants took advantage of the envelope of darkness to loot and maim.

Sanwo-Olu has come in for intense criticism for the darkened streets and potholes that have become the story of his administration so far.

However, the Lagos state government says the street lights will soon come alive.

“We have so far met with relevant agencies in the energy and power sector to ensure all non functional street lights are restored to full functionality and streets that didn’t have street lights are lit up,” the Lagos State Electricity Board told Pulse.

Lamp in Darkness used to illustrate the story (PremiumTimes) Pulse Nigeria

A top ranking official in the Sanwo-Olu administration told Pulse on condition of anonymity that immediate past Lagos Governor, Ambode, caused it all.

“The Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) administration had an Independent Power Project (IPP) template which powered the street lights through solar technology. When Ambode succeeded Fashola, he inexplicably cancelled the IPP contracts and started using diesel generators to power the street lights. This was never going to be a sustainable alternative.

“Towards the end of his tenure, and having realised he was not going to get a second term in office, Ambode stopped paying the contractors who managed the lights. Which is why the streets became dark when we assumed the reins. We are now processing payments for the contractors. Some have received their payments and the streets will soon be lit again,” promised the top ranking source in Sanwo-Olu’s administration.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu shakes hands with Akinwunmi Ambode during the transition [Twitter/@jidesanwoolu] Pulse Nigeria

Ambode wasn't immediately available for comments for this story.

Lagos prides itself as an affluent mega city, the nation’s commercial capital and most cosmopolitan of Nigerian cities. However, the city is often beset with infrastructural woes and perennial gridlock on roads.

Sanwo-Olu, 53, has promised to fix all of that.