IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Government officials and Information Technology experts have identified the crucial role technology play in driving government processes.

The stakeholders, who spoke at Nigeria eGovernment Summit in Lagos, said when the technology was deployed in regulatory processes, transparency and accountability would be achieved.

Sanwo-Olu claims metro fibre cables will bridge broadband gap

Early adoption and deployment of technology will be crucial to any e-govt strategies in Nigeria.

This was the submission of participants at the Nigeria e-Government Summit 2020 held in Lagos, yesterday.

With the recently gathering of stakeholders in education sector to discuss ICT for school transformation, it is no longer difficult to imagine.

Information Technology (IT) stakeholders in the country have stressed the need for ubiquitous data generation and processing that will help in decision making and policy implementation for the attainment of a smart, secure and sustainable Nigeria.

They stated this at the ongoing 2022 International Conference of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Frantic efforts have been made to properly position government at all levels to adopt the new trend of e-Government, however, daunting challenges still dots the quests for effective implementations.

As inexcusable as the challenges appear to be, investigations have revealed that government is proactive in ensuring that e-Government becomes successful in the provision of basic services to the people, particularly in the emerging technology-driven governance.

These among others were some of the views expressed by participants at the just concluded international conference on e-government and national security under the auspices of the Nigerian Computer Society, (NCS) Osun State last week.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami has stressed the need for partnerships and collaboration among industry stakeholders, in order to achieve Nigeria’s digital economy dream faster than imagined.

Pantami gave the advise during this year’s National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA), organised by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), the umbrella body of all Information Technology professionals and interest groups, which held recently in Lagos.

NITDA which was set up in 2001 with a 2007 Act which gave it legal teeth to function more effectively has carried out several development initiatives and a number of its ICT projects scattered around the 36 states since inception. Some of these projects are currently attracting the attention of states and local government areas who are asking for more, according to sources.

Almost at the same time, Nigerian motorists are hounded from all corners by the police, the Federal Road Safety Corps, state road agencies, vehicle inspection officers, customs, emission control agencies, signage enforcement outfits, among others. According to the police, the ‘great invention’ was made as a response to the contemporary security challenges bordering on terrorism, high incidence of kidnapping, car theft, carjacking and other acts of crimes and criminality.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme, chairman of SUBEB, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, said the capacity training programme is geared towards improving the basic skills and techniques of teachers.

In the evolving landscape of Nigeria’s urbanization, the concept of smart cities stands out as a critical ambition. These cities, envisioned to be hubs of technological integration and sustainable living, are urban dreams and necessities in our rapidly advancing world. However, the transformation of these visions into tangible realities is as much a political journey as it is an engineering challenge. The successful development of smart cities in Nigeria demands a seamless integration of civil engineering expertise with astute political leadership, creating a synergy that can profoundly reshape our urban environments.

Nigeria’s major cities, including the vast city of Lagos and the expanding capital, Abuja, are at the core of the country’s cultural and economic activities. Yet, they face a multitude of challenges: infrastructural deficiencies, rapidly growing population pressures, environmental concerns, and the need for sustainable development. Addressing these multifaceted issues calls for a strategic approach that combines political foresight with civil engineering innovation. In this confluence of disciplines lies the potential for transforming Nigeria’s urban spaces into models of efficiency, sustainability, and technological advancement.

• Technology experts have unveiled the data storage systems that could safeguard Nigerian cities
• Tech experts at Western Digital Media stated that the growing adoption of smart city technologies presents opportunities to enhance urban living
• They disclose that technologies have brought a new era of progress to help navigate today’s complex societies

In Nigeria, the growing adoption of smart city technologies presents transformative opportunities to enhance urban living, improve public safety, and drive economic growth.

May I start with a confession? Last week’s piece was supposed to be a single part only, and was designed to share my thoughts on the elections. I planned to move to something else, based on my content calendar. The turn of events, however, quickly made me change my mind because it was unbearable for me, like most Nigerians, that the electoral umpire shifted the elections while most of us slept.

I was visibly angry at first because I had to change location, in order to be able to vote and secondly, this is the era of technology. Besides nepotism, selfishness and lack of vision, there is simply no reason why Nigeria should not be moving forward technologically. As a stakeholder in the technology ecosystem, it is my opinion that, we have crawled in these last few years.

The minister said during an interactive session with ICT correspondents in Lagos at the weekend that the tasks before the new born ministry is enormous but will revolve round four basic areas to boost relevance of the industry in the Nigerian economy.

ebola virusThe application was developed on the Android platform, with several targets in mind. It has to be easy to use, has to make data entry easy, has to be connected wirelessly, and must be able to submit data based on the phones whereabouts automatically. With all this in mind an application was built.

Mr. Lanre Ajayi, the new president of the association in a paper presented at the just concluded West African ICT Conference and Exhibition (Wafict) in Lagos last week, noted that the country faced bandwidth distribution challenge arising from lack of adequate national transmission backbone and unavailability of spectrum for last mile connectivity. He also stated that the low demand for broadband was caused by lack of local content and e-services.

Prof. Anthony V Pais, a Senior Consultant Surgical Oncology from the Hospital, who spoke last week during the opening of a new centre for Nigerians, said telemedicine will dissociate financial status and quality healthcare.

"Telemedicine involves use of medical information transferred from one site to another through electronic communications to improve patient health care, including diagnosis and treatment while reducing cost. We discuss any patient every week with a group of doctors and this will reduce the rate at which people seek for better care abroad."

Anambra State scored a remarkable feat on March 30 by becoming the first state in Nigeria to bring together eminent stakeholders in a conference to singularly address the obstacles facing broadband deployment and expansion in the country. The well-attended conference rallied stakeholders and investors to Anambra State’s readiness and willingness to expand broadband infrastructure for accelerated socioeconomic development of the State celebrated as “The Light of the Nation”.

Chief Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State, takes pride of place as the first leader in South-East Nigeria to implement the waiver of the per linear meter Right of Way (RoW) charges as opposed to the N145 per linear meter recommended by the National Economic Council.

Recently, Lagos State governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, unveiled a multipurpose residents’ smart card tagged “Lag ID” with a unique identification number for identification of every resident, irrespective of tribe, age or status.

The smart card is a one-stop access card to live in Lagos and the first of its kind in Africa. It serves as a replacement for all other cards issued by the state government for a more efficient access to government services and other personal benefits.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike says the FCT Administration’s efforts at transforming Abuja into a smart city is not negotiable.

Wike stated this at the Annual Media Retreat of the FCT Minister’s Press Corps in Keffi on Sunday.

The retreat has the theme, “Building an Environment that Benefits a Smart City. Healthy Café: A Step Towards Effective City Management”.