Residents of Jattu, Auchi and neighboring towns in Edo State have commended Governor Godwin Obaseki, for the Light-up Edo Project (Phase I), as the towns now wear a new look following the installation of 283 solar street lights at strategic locations on the major roads linking the towns in the northern part of state.
The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Energy and Electricity, Stephen Uyiekpen, at the weekend said: “The light-up Edo project is part of Obaseki’s ‘Making Edo Great Again’ manifesto to transform the state into the preferred business destination in Nigeria, improve security and raise the standards of living of the people.”
He explained that “the solar street light project covers the ever-busy Auchi-Jattu road and the Jattu-Otaru Polytechnic road. The Jattu-Otaru Polytechnic road has 105 solar street lights installed (about 3.3km) starting from the polytechnic gate, while the Auchi-Jattu Township road (about 4.9km) has a total of 178 solar street lights installed.”
Speaking on the features of the solar lights, Uyiekpen noted that the LED lamps have a minimum life span of over five years (50,000 hours) and 120 Watts capacity, stated that the suppliers of the street lights gave two years warranty for the lights which covers maintenance, thereby guaranteeing the efficient performance of the solar street lights.
Residents of Jattu metropolis, who shared their experiences with journalists, commended the governor for prioritising their safety and security and for restoring a night economy in the area.
One of the community leaders in the area, Mohammed Momoh, said: “This is a laudable achievement by the governor, and with these street lights, he has solved a fundamental problem that has long prevented the town and its environs from fully leveraging their geographical and market advantages.”
Also, some traders, who spoke to Journalists on behalf of the elated residents and petty traders, said: “We want to sincerely thank Governor Obaseki for bringing good governance to our doorsteps; we are experiencing a boom in sales as the light-up Edo project has helped to eliminate security threats. We are recording an increase in profits because we now do more business at night.”
