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By Laolu Akinsanya
When President Muhammadu Buhari visited Ogun State in January 2022, it was filled with celebration of achievements of Prince Dapo Abiodun administration, and funfair.
One of the key projects, was the commissioning of the Sagamu Interchange road to Abeokuta, with street lights which was the selling point at the time for the road users.
Many criticised the street light project at that time, as the average part of Abeokuta the state capital was accidentally in total darkness that day. Many of the government media handler and the so called “data boys”(new media foot soldiers) took to the social media to defend their principal that the Sagamu Abeokuta road needed the street light than lighting the city; beside it wasn’t the responsibility of the Governor to provide electricity, but IBEDC.
Ironically, they didn’t reveal to the public that the streetlight was a temporary sakamaje on the road.
It was a great concern to citizens and stakeholders that the street light would be powered by a diesel power generator. The cost of the constantly fueled generator would rest on the state treasure.
However, the road had returned to the former state of darkness as many saw the recent increase in the price of diesel as a factor.
It is so sad that the government can be so incensitive in powering a street light, that what came to their mind was a diesel generator.
The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library recently installed a solar panels to provide electricity to all its facilities, and the state could not look towards the means. I don’t know why the state can not look outside the box(even when most of the officials use such alternative power in their private residences).
I wish the people concern will not tag this as one of the negative criticism, but do something urgent to address the issue.
Mr Akinsanya writes from Laderin, Abeokuta.