Wike, please work on Abuja street lights

At a time when most big cities in Africa and Europe suffer from luminous pollution (there’s too much light), Abuja, Nigeria, the so-called giant of Africa, appears unable to take care of common street lights.

After regular work from Mondays to Fridays, Abujans want to go out into the night to unwind. But we cannot because of the jungle-like darkness that prevails around Wuse, Jabi and most of the city centre.

Not only Nigerians. Foreigners as well are afraid to explore the nightlife in Abuja. I once had a foreign friend who told me that Abuja is about the dullest city in Nigeria. “I would wake up at any time in the night in Lagos and drive around if I want to…but not Abuja”, he told me.

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Street light is security and security is street lights. The provision of basic things like street lights in a city like Abuja is a litmus test of the capacity of any public official so saddled with that responsibility. Inability thereof ordinarily signals failure. Because the question is: if the person saddled with that responsibility cannot handle ordinary street lights, how can he provide roads, health care, security, and guarantee security?

 Bob Etemiku, WADONOR, Cultural Voice of Nigeria