By Lawal Sale

There has been a trending piece of information with no ‘source’ but with a tag “copied” that a certain “person” spoke with an FRSC offcicial who confided in him that the traffic lights being installed in the FCT by the Chinese government carry a devise that can be used to apprehend traffic violators which will in turn make Nigeria generate some revenue from the motorists. It is NOT TRUE.

In my opinion, this is one of the negative media campaigns that we encounter daily against China Nigeria relations and China Aided projects in Nigeria.

I have once inspected the installation of these traffic lights in Abuja and wrote a piece in social media – I have seen nothing like data capturing device during my inspection.

Now, even in China, traffic lights are not being used to capture drivers data, as there are other gadgets for that purpose.

What the Chinese are installing today are just the poles, three colours light boxes and solar panels; unless there are hidden gadgets that we cant see (which don’t exist), no one can convince me that those three colours lights hide something different.

Let me reiterate again that these are China Aided projects that are not for profit making. China does not give you something free of charge knowing that you’ll make money out of it.

Having data capturing equipment or gadgets means an extra budget to the project which the Chinese are not ready to shoulder.

If the Federal or state governments want such gadgets for drivers data capturing on the roads to generate revenue, they know where and how to get them because there are many Chinese companies that are ready to provide that under a contractual agreements.

Let’s disregard the lies and know that what we are seeing in Abuja is purely China Aided projects for the benefit of our people.

The current installation that is going on in the FCT is the second phase of the project, the first phase of the traffic lights project has been completed and it is working already without any data capturing device targeting traffic offenders for revenuegeneration.

The sponsored lie was just a deliberate attempt aimed at tarnishing the strategic Nigeria China relations and that of our people with a shared future. China is a true friend of Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the Global South.

– Lawal Sale is a Global Affairs analyst