Lagos lawmakers task Sanwo-Olu on light up Lagos project

By Ihechukwu Sunday

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have called on the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to expedite action in the award of contract for the provision of solar street lights across the state.

The lawmakers equally urged the governor to order the Commissioner of Energy to ensure that current street lights are up and running.
They also resolved to mandate the local government chairmen to perform their constitutional duties of providing street lights in all local governments roads.

The resolution came under the Matter of Urgent Public Importance raised by the member representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun 1, Lukmoh Olumoh, during plenary on Monday.

Olumoh, who said that Lagosians are complaining about the situation, noted that despite previous resolutions on streetlight installation, Lagosians were yet to benefit from the initiative, as many areas had been left in darkness and vulnerable to security threats.

“We should be up and running about that because Lagosians are complaining. We need also to explore alternatives which are solar street lights. N24 billion was allocated in the 2024 budget to ensure that we move from fossil generated light to solar street light,” he said.

Supporting the motion, Gbolahon Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa 2, echoed concerns from his constituents about poorly lit roads, stressing the urgency of awarding contracts for the project.
Also, Desmond Elliot, representing Surulere 01, highlighted the security benefits of functional streetlights in his constituency and suggested that local governments should complement state efforts by deploying solar-powered streetlights in their areas.

“It should be a complementary work between the state and local governments. Every road must have a complementary street light. Every dark corner under bridges must be lit up. Lighting up Lagos is something we must not compromise,” he submitted..

Lawmakers took turns to support the motion with some pointing out that the government should not just stop at providing the solar street light, but must go a step further to provide adequate security for the infrastructure as some hoodlums are in the habit of vandalising the street light.

Bonu Solomon, representing Badagry 1, raised the concern about vandalism of streetlight infrastructure and recommended deploying CCTV cameras to safeguard the installations.

In his remarks, Gbolahon Ogunleye, the member representing Ikorodu 01, called for equitable distribution of the project across all parts of the state, including remote areas, such as Epe, Badagry, and Ikorodu. This, he noted, would ensure that such public infrastructure as that schools and hospitals were equally protected. However, Abiodun Tobun, representing Epe 1, raised concerns about the use of previously allocated funds for the project.

He questioned whether past allocations had been utilized effectively and called for an investigation into the matter. His concerns were echoed by the Majority Leader Temitope Adewale, who urged the House to examine funding issues related to the project and other infrastructure challenges. “If we say the 2024 budget has performed 98 percent, let us know what has happened to the money budgeted for the solar street lights because Lagosians are complaining,” Adewale added.

On her part, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, stressed the need for local governments to align their road contracts with streetlight installations.

She also advocated for improved maintenance culture and urged citizens to play a role in safeguarding public infrastructure. “We must insist that any road given out henceforth, street light should be part of it. We can do solar street lights in Lagos. If we can produce transformers, solar street lights should be the least of our problems.

We should improve our maintenance culture. When you see something, say something. Government property is our property and we must all protect them,” she stated.

To address these concerns, the House set up a seven-member ad hoc committee, under the chairmanship of Sobur Oluwa, representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun 2, to investigate the challenges hindering the implementation of the Light-Up Lagos project.
Other members of the committee include Abiodun Tobun (Epe 1), Stephen Ogundipe (Oshodi/Isolo 1), Femi Saheed (Kosofe 2), and Desmond Elliot (Surulere 1).