Business Activities Suffer As Darkness Takes Over Umuahia Streets At Night

The thriving night markets of Umuahia, the capital of Abia State,  are under threat due to lack of street light to enable sellers and buyers feel safe to transact their businesses.

The state capital is renowned as an  agricultural produce market , attracting traders and farmers from neighbouring towns.

Most the traders and buyers often patronize the night markets where the produce, such as yam, cassava, citrus fruits, palm oil and palm kernel, among others, are sold.

Also, civil servants who are being owed salary arrears or receiving less remuneration, and who had resorted to commercial transportation with their cars for survival are also threatened by the lack of street light in the state capital.

The inability of the state government to fix all the street light in the state capital has led to limited night life,  while transporters have complained that hoodlums and miscreants take advantage of the darkness on the streets to robe them.

At the popular Isigate,  one of the busiest places in Umuahia,  has turned to a robbers’ den as people are being robbed every night due to the darkness around the place.

All the streets leading to  Isigate do not have any functional street light.

From Aba road down to Umuwaya road and straight to the ShopRite has become a no-go area at night.

It is suicidal to pass the Niger to Uwalaka road in the night due to criminal activities perpetrated under the cover of darkness.

 Residents of the area say they always sleep with their eyes opens as cultists have turned the area into their safe haven after committing crimes around the Orlu/Ekete street.

Some traders and motorist who spoke to our correspondent complained bitterly on the dangers of streets without light at night.

Mrs Ogbonna Uka, an Iced fish seller said, she  now records low patronage at night because residents “are scared to come out to buy something anytime it’s 7pm.”

Mr Ibe Onu, a taxi driver,  said he used to make good money at night when the streetlight was functional, but lamented that “people don’t go out again for  night groove as everywhere is just dark.”

He said it was strange to him that Bank road, which is  within the Government House, will not have street light at night, but added that “am not even expecting them to fix the other ones”.

  Even the road to Ugba community, the home town of the  Senator representating Abia  Central , Chief T. A. Orji  and the Speaker of the state house of Assembly,  Engr. Chinedum Orji , is not left out of the darkness.

 Motorists say they cannot pass through the Bende road to Isieke at night without being harassed by unknown persons  due to the darkness on the road. 

The Chief of Staff to the Abia State governor, Anthony Chidi Agbazuere, had on March 2020 said the streetlight project undertaken by the government was to enhance economic activities as well as reduce crimes in various parts of the state.

He had observed that  most crimes were committed under the cover of darkness, pointing out that illuminating the streets would help reduce crime in Abia to the barest minimum.

Agbazuere  had commended  Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for installing streetlight on major roads across the state and expressed  hope that the Abia State Streetlight Installation and Maintenance Agency would maintain them.

But barely one and half years after installing light on the streets,  the bulbs have gone dead and no one in the government appeared to have noticed yet.