Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State is emplacing a 24-hour economy across the three senatorial districts in the state with his spirited execution of the Light-up Edo project.
The project is an integral part of the Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) Agenda conceived to harness the enormous night-time socio-economic opportunities and supercharge the overall economy of the state.
At a recent event in Benin City, Obaseki said: “We already have the Ossiomo Power Plant which is powering most government-owned facilities.
Also, we have started lighting up Edo State beginning from Ring Road, and our goal is that within the shortest possible time, we would have a network of over 200 kilometers of streetlights starting from Benin.”
Residents of areas that have been lit through the project, attest to the growing sense of security in their communities and the resulting night-time economy which are both on a steady rise.
The latest beneficiaries are residents of Akpakpava Road, and the adjourning streets as well as New Lagos road axis of Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Before Akpakpava and New Lagos roads, the state government had lit up Airport Road, Stadium Road, Sapele Road, Ring Road, Akenzua Street and Adesogbe in Benin City and Auchi-Jattu Road and Jattu-Otaru Polytechnic Road in Edo North.
According to the state government, street light installation work is currently ongoing at Mission Road, Forestry Road, Lagos Street, Sokponba Road, Dawson Road, Uselu Shell, Ibiwe, Evbiemwen, Ist, 2nd and 3rd east circular roads in Benin City, adding that the light-up Edo project is a huge project that is broken into phases that will cover several roads and streets across the state.
Experts contend that a night-time economy is an additional source of revenue and employment, boosts tourism, promotes greater citizen security and increases people’s sense of ownership of cities.
Sharing their new experience, some business owners along the Akpakpava and New Lagos road business corridors said: “We are very happy that the whole area is illuminated, we greatly thank Governor Godwin Obaseki for this initiative, recognizing that power is fundamental to commerce.
“We have extended closing time and stay out late into the night as the street lights are helping to attract more clients to our businesses.”
“My plan to expand my business here in Edo is being realized because the Governor is always doing all he can to make sure we have a conducive environment to operate our businesses.
“I have been experiencing a boom in my business since the light-up Edo project started, all thanks to the Governor”, another resident, Chike Okolie stated.
Residents of Jattu, Auchi and neighbouring towns in Edo State also applauded the government for the project, which they said has attracted the installation of 283 solar streetlights at strategic locations on the major roads linking the towns in the northern part of the state.
Also lauding Obaseki’s careful approach to the light-up Edo project, a resident of Benin City, Mr Agu John, attributed the failure of the street lighting system by the previous administrations to the lack of a comprehensive and sustainable plan. In other words, the street lighting initiative was not designed to last.
“Under the previous administration led by Adams Oshiomhole, the functionality of street lights depended largely on availability of diesel and the working condition of power generators.
“Similarly, the personnel who were mandated to manage the street lights did not have the will power or integrity to ensure the functionality of the facility. Therefore, it was obvious from the beginning that the street light project could not rely on power generators to function effectively,” Mr. John said.
He noted that the Governor Obaseki-led administration took time to review the old system, identified the gaps and came up with a holistic plan that attends to the needs of the players in the entire value chain, for sustainability.
People familiar with the funding of the project said the state government is determined in its quest to install over 200km of street lights in the Benin metropolis and other parts of the state within a short period of time to rake-in the manifest and inherent gains.
Undoubtedly, there is a sharp contrast between Obaseki’s system approach and previous arrangements that were fraught with poor planning, lack of transparency that rendered them epileptic.
The Edo State Government is in partnership with Ossiomo Power Plant, an independent power project, to provide steady power supply for the street lights.
The implication of this initiative is that once the street light project is completed, there will be no worries as to whether street lights will fail as a result of lack of diesel or faulty generators, as was the case with previous governments’ arrangements.
Obviously, Governor Obaseki’s novel idea is sustainable and commendable and he is determined to change the narrative in the state with his MEGA agenda.