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.
