Politicians Hijack Solar Streetlight Projects In Nasarawa
BY AHMED TUKUR, LAFIA – The two-kilometer streetlight project recently initiated by Nasarawa State government through the Sustainable Development Goals Office (SDG) has been allegedly hijack by politicians in the North Central State.
Competent sources said despite government’s good intervention, the lights are being diverted from the public areas and streets only to be mounted around houses of prominent politicians in the State.
The project was flagged-off by Governor Abdullahi Sule in Obi Local Government Area last month as part of his first 100 days activities and it attracted widespread accolades from the people as a welcome development.
Forefront correspondent, who went round some of the project areas, observed that the streetlights are randomly mounted without standard procedures that include taking into cognizance length and distance in between the streetlights
Further checks indicated that most of the beacons erected for the lights are located in areas populated by political office holders and friends of those in government with a large part of the town housing the populace left unattended.
A typical example is in Nasarawa Eggon local government area where most of the light are designated behind the Emir’s palace along Alhaji Ibrahim Agah Street, which presently houses the home of former North Central Vice Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Zakari Idde; and family house of Assembly member, representing Nasarawa Eggon East constituency Hon. Mohammed Muluku and Hon TIjjani Marafa, a top APC stakeholder in the local government.
Complaining to Forefront, a resident of the area, Mr Dauda James expressed disgust over the modality use in erecting the Solar streetlights, even as he urging the SGD office in state to redefine the procedures for executing of the project.
When contacted, the Nasarawa State Senior Special Assistant on SDG, Murtala Abubakar promised that his office will act accordingly and anywhere discrepancies are noticed in handling the projects’ execution, such would be immediately corrected.
“When we have such complaints, we will look at their genuineness of the situation and act accordingly. I can assure you that this are feedbacks we need in other to perfect the system”, he said
According to him, the local government chairmen were given the responsibilities identifying and distributing the streetlights, adding that the project is divided between the Local Governments and Development Areas of each local government.
He explained that his office has so far covered three local governments, namely, Lafia, Obi and Nasarawa Eggon local government areas of the State.
