The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, says Nigeria is set to hold a smart cities summit in June as part of efforts by the Federal Government to develop ICT sector in the country.

Mr. Shittu disclosed this in an interview the News Agency of Nigeria on the sideline of the Transform Africa Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda, an ICT conference focused on development of smart cities.

The minister, who said the plan was to replicate the unparalleled ICT transformation of Rwanda in Nigeria, said the “Smart Cities Nigeria 2017 Summit” was scheduled for June 28 and 29.

NAN reports that a smart city is an urban development vision to integrate in ICT and Internet of Things (IoT) technology in a secure fashion to manage a city’s assets
The initiative aims at leveraging technology solutions to improve efficiency of cities.

Rwanda which is spearheading the initiative has rolled out a number of developments such as WiFi in public areas, including public transport vehicles, as well as cashless payment systems in public transport.

Currently, the initiative is backed by 18 African countries while more nations including Nigeria are expected to join.

While explaining further on the Smart Cities Summit, Mr. Shittu said Nigeria was starting late but steadily.

“I will say that we have some delays within the government operations we ought to have unleashed some of these ideas in the Nigerian scene more than eight months ago.

“In consonance with our desire to pursue all initiative in the ICT transformation including smart cities we have planned a summit.“

The summit is with the theme `Smart Cities Nigeria 2017’ fixed for 28 and 29 of June, this year, is with a view to getting the buy in of stakeholders in the Nigeria projects.

“From that point, we will kick off and there would not be any stoppage,” he said.
Mr. Shittu said the Smart cities project would provide the opportunity to get a buy in of all stakeholders in the Nigerian project.

According to him, Nigeria needs the buy-in of all stakeholders especially that of the state governments if the ICT transformation project is to work.
“To transform Nigeria using ICT we need the buy-in of all states that must get it right from the onset that ICT is the way to go.

“Of course, we would demand the patriotic participation of all states,” he said.

He also said that government was seeking foreign investments into the country’s ICT sectors to fast-track the digital transformation agenda in the country.
The minister said that he had spoken with some foreign investors to that effect.

“I have had the privilege of speaking with a lot of foreign investors persuading them to come to Nigeria because Nigeria offers a lot of advantage in terms of the huge population.

“On the West African sector of the African continent, Nigeria’s population is more than that of the other 14 countries. That means that there is a huge market and any investor who comes will never regret.

“I have spoken with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; Strive Masiyuwa, Chairman and founder of Econet Wireless, as well as Inmarsat, among others.

“In fact, Inmarsat will be coming to Nigeria for a meeting in first week of June. I have spoken with Korean Telecommunications,” he said.

Mr. Shittu said that when he went to Rwanda four months ago he spoke with them and put in application for them to bring in smart towers to Nigeria, adding that the process was still ongoing.

“I have renewed our bid for them to come and invest in solar based tower stations and I am confident that once they come, it will be a leap jump towards our having enough infrastructure for the steady progress of ICT,” he said.

(NAN)

smartty68:
Please add source OP. Thanks

Naijaguy12345:
NAN new association of Nigeria.

VeeVeeMyLuv:
jonny drille is an amazing singer, he can win a grammy

Naijaguy12345:
NAN new association of Nigeria.

Blue3k2:
Internet of Things with our terrible wifi. I understand this along with electrity being improved at sane time needed. How do these smart towera compare to fiber optic investment. Oh well I might watch out for it.

IpobAreFools:
flat_heads are already thinking of how to move drugs to China and Indonesia.

Developers and drug pushing are like.. ...

irepnaija4eva:




So upon what u read above,this what you can come up with? Seriously is like your brains are allergic to you.
I'll strongly advice you offer it to tadpoles,cos am sure it will be of better use to them..

Iranu.

Iamwrath:
These people are just stupid and fuvccking crazy , This is a step in the wrong direction
Give us Light , give us water , give us basic amenities first

rozayx5:


light you no get
you dey find smart city
this contraption is just 57 years of a thousand laughs

IamaNigerianGuy:


With the exception of Osibanjo, Buharis entire cabinet is a gathering of clowns.

rozayx5:


circus par excellence

win2kwire:


Rubbish, Nigerians need commonsense before even light and water.
If you put light eveywhere in Nigeria the same citizens will steal the transformers and cables.
If you put water evrywhere, the citizens will block access to others and start selling it.

No infrastructure is safe in Nigeria with the mentality of Nigerians!

stefanweeks:
The government is a joke

There are private companies already doing this in abuja

Fully furnished residential buildings with almost everything in it smart

from the doors, refrigerators, microwave and the gas supply line all networked.

We cant wait for the slow pokes in Aso Rock....

smartty68:
Its a welcoming innovation...

But its dead on arrival

Nigeria never get light, good infrastructures, hunger and poverty everywhere na smart city them dey talk about!

See them body to even compare developed Rwanda to underdeveloped Nigeria

Lemme come and be going jor

IdeyFindWife:


They are confused and misdirected lot.

Instead of investing in infrastructure, turning the economy around and providing a thriving environment for businesses to thrive and investors to "dive"; they're looking for multi-billion investments that are not production-oriented.

Are investments like this founded on vacuums? idi0ts!!

Instead of heading out to Kebbi State and investing in Mega Solar Power Generation Projects that'd generate enough to sell power to neighboring countries, eh? All the African countries building smart cities, did they stave of critical recession-beating resources to do it? Or did they do it on borrowed budgets?

navdengan99:
. For the first time somebody has actually made sense and hit d nail on head, trully d main problem with dis country is common sense expecially the youth, u steal or vandalise govtment properties that shud be of benefit to everyone,you come here and praise thieve that stole billions and dnt care abt ur future all bcux he is ur tribe, you complain evryday abt bad govtment that rules over 190million people but ursef cannot do anytin to help evn one person in ur neighbourhood, yes trully d state of the nation is bad and govtment has not help matters either but wat has been ur own contribution towards ur country