Douala residents blamed for public lighting failures
By Synthia Lateu
The Douala City Council is placing the blame for the city’s poor public lighting system on its residents. This issue came under scrutiny during a press conference held on June 4, where council officials met with journalists to address growing concerns about street lighting.
According to the council, widespread acts of vandalism are sabotaging efforts to maintain functional lighting. Beb A. Ikoue, coordinator of the One-Stop Office at the Douala City Council, noted that despite repeated repairs—such as those done in the airport tunnel—the lights often stop working within a week. He attributed this to the deliberate destruction of equipment by individuals within the community, describing the behavior as “incivility” and saying the motives behind it remain unclear.
Residents, on their part, say living in darkness has become routine. Many complain that reliable public lighting feels like an unattainable goal in Douala, and that the lack of it leaves people vulnerable to crime and accidents at night. “It’s difficult to move around or go home around 8 ti 9 p.m. Accidents can happen easily.” a resident said.
In addition to frustration by the absence of street lighting, frequent power cuts in Douala is increasingly challenging lifes of the population.
