Stories by Etta Michael Bisong
Abuja
The Lagos State Government has pledged to deploy 12,000 surveillance cameras across the state as part of its ‘Smart City Project’ with the objective of providing state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure to deliver essential services to all residents.
Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Olufemi Odubiyi, made this disclosure recently at the ongoing 2016 ministerial press briefing of the Lagos state government in commemoration of first year in office of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, adding that the deployment of the cameras would also improve the security as well as ensure prompt and effective response to emergency situations by first responders.
He stated that other initiatives of the present administration under the ‘Smart City Project’ include the provision of a metro network to connect all schools, hospitals, courts, police stations and government facilities; unified communication systems for first emergency responders; provision of 4G LTE Technology and broadband deployment of fibers across the state.
Another achievement of the Ministry noted by the Commissioner in the period under review include the collaboration with the state Ministry of Health to build a robust IT system to facilitate and enable free enrollment of Lagosians under the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme.
Odubiyi however pointed out that the State Government had last year adopted a modified National Science and Technology Policy which was developed with an overall objective of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), stressing that the working document was found to be deficient in some aspect.
The Commissioner continued that this necessitated the need to liaise with the federal ministry of Science and Technology to review the policy document with a view to bringing developments to the state within the frame work of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The main objective is to enable the Ministry as a change agent focus on overcoming the challenges facing the State’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) sector, including human capital and scientific infrastructure such as laboratories and IT equipment”, he said.
