In a bid to increase the coverage of the broadband network, Lagos State Government disclosed that plans are ongoing to connect fibre optic cables to all public schools, educational institutions, health centres, and government offices by mid-year, 2021.
This disclosure was made by the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while speaking at the second edition of Art of Technology 2.0, tagged ‘Smart Data, Smarter Lagos’, held at Oriental Hotel in Lagos, and attended by Nairametrics.
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He emphasized the need to accelerate the technological inclusion and coverage of the state through the deployment of the optic fibre infrastructure.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said the deployment of 6,000 km of cables across Lagos State will raise the level of science and technology adaptation to create a smarter city.
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He reaffirmed his commitment to digitalizing operations in the state, vowing to leave no stone unturned to give residents sound governance through data gathering. In this regard, all public schools, educational institutions, health centres, and government offices by mid-year 2021 would be connected.
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice President, who attended the event virtually, lauded the current administration of Lagos State for the innovative and pace setting moves.
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The Vice President said the Buhari-led administration was working round the clock to make Nigeria a smart country, agreeing that human creativeness and ingenuity were major assets needed to make the society a smart place.
He stated that the present administration is set to provide adequate back-up for innovators in this regard and ensure that the much needed investment in Human capital development are made, to ensure pressing problems in the society are solved efficiently with the use of data.
Osinbajo gave an assurance that the Federal Government will continue to pursue its digital and technology-driven agenda to keep the country at the same pace with the rest of the world.
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What they are saying
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said:
“For us as a government, we have developed what we call a Smart City Agenda, and we are looking at the six pillars of economic growth, in which the third pillar talked about Education and Technology.”
“In line with this, we are set to deploy 6,000 km of cables across Lagos State in order to upscale the level of Science and Technology adaptation to create a smarter city. However, plans are ongoing to connect fibre optic cables to all public schools, educational institutions, health centres, government offices by mid-year 2021.”
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The Governor reaffirmed his commitment to digitalizing operations in the state, vowing to leave no stone unturned to give residents sound governance through data gathering.
He said, “We need to know ourselves. So, with data obtained from Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) and other agencies, we shall be able to plan well, take sound decisions and make better policies.
“All these efforts are geared towards making Lagos a Smarter City in every sector of our economy, in line with our T.H.E.M.E.S economic agenda.”
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Speaking on the need to leverage data in the society, the Vice President of Nigeria, said:
“Data is everything, we are gathering economic data, demographic data and other data coupled with our resourcefulness to manage over two billion people. So, we must leverage technology and data for better plans, policy design and decision-making. Smart data makes smart governance.”
