Nigeria: Case for electronic voting and electoral reform before 2027 by Abajue, Chidi - Commentary@ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Executive Summary.
Nigeria’s democratic destiny stands at crossroads.
Despite two decades of continuous civilian rule, the question remains: Have our elections truly reflected the will of the people?

This paper calls on the National Assembly of Nigeria to enact the legislative will and moral courage required to institutionalize electronic voting (e-voting) and comprehensive electoral reform before 2027.

TD Africa, Bosch boost ties on Nigerian consumer electronic market - ITREALMS

Sponsored@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

To further showcase its acknowledgment and endorsement of the Nigerian-born, Africa-wide technology distribution company, TD Africa, a delegation of Robert Bosch GmbH, popularly known as BOSCH, has paid a courtesy visit to the tech distribution giant at its Victoria Island, Lagos, head office. 

This pivotal visit marks a renewed commitment of the German multinational engineering and technology company to TD Africa as the strategic ally for Bosch business in Nigeria.

e-Voting: Southern Governors insist on electronic transmission of results - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The Southern Governors Forum have rejected the removal of the electronic transmission of the election result from the electoral act, reports ITREALMS.

Arising from a day meeting of the forum in Lagos on Monday, ITREALMS reported that they insisted that in order to consolidate the nation's democracy and strengthen the electoral process, the Southern Governors’ Forum "rejects the removal of the Electronic transmission of the election result from the electoral act."

IE begins electronic tagging of poles - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The leading Electricity Distribution Company, Ikeja Electric Plc (IE), has began the electronic tagging of electricity poles across its network, reports ITREALMS.

The exercise known as E-Pole Tagging Project entails labeling of all 11KV and 33KV High Tension (HT) poles with electronic Quick Response (QR) Code stickers.

ITREALMS reports that it will accelerate fault clearing, ensure proper record keeping for poles and feeders that need urgent maintenance to bring about stable power distribution to customers.

Head, Corporate Communication, Ikeja Electric, Mr. Felix Ofulue, said “At Ikeja Electric, we are consistent and committed to improving our operations in line with best practice in order to give the desirable services to our customers. We are engaging in activities that will provide significant outcome and impact positively on the sector.”

“This consistency shows that we are driven by commitment and passion to add value to the lives of our customers through exploring ways of improving the network,” he said.

Nenye Dom/Editor

*JOIN our alert's group | Share stories with us | Advert placement: WhatsApp | SMS: +2348033592762 *Twitter: @ITREALMS *Email: itrealms.dsa@gmail.com*

Samsung partners TD, takes charge of electronic market - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The sub-Saharan Africa's foremost distribution company, Technology Distributions Ltd (TD) has been appointed national distributor of Samsung Electronics in the open market channel, reports ITREALMS.

This development, ITREALMS gathered is expected to deliver better pricing and availability of Samsung products across the country and beyond.

The landmark partnership was unveiled at an official dealers’ event held on Tuesday, August 28th 2018 at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Speaking at the event, Managing Director, Samsung Electronics - West Africa, Mr. Jingak Chung disclosed that the decision to appoint TD as authorized distributors of Samsung Electronics in Nigeria was a very easy one, considering the reputation of the company.

According to him, TD’s nationwide reach, wide database of resellers and long-standing status as the largest supplier of technology to the Sub-Saharan Africa marketplace are factors that made them an undisputable choice as partners.

“Through this partnership with TD, we are optimistic that the wide range of cutting-edge products that we are rolling out for the Nigerian market will be readily available nationwide for resellers and other end-users, with attractive pricing as well,” he enthused.

Also speaking at the event, Managing Director, TD Mobile, Mrs. Gozy Ijogun, expressed her delight at the partnership with Samsung Electronics, even as she re-affirmed TD’s commitment to its over 2,000 resellers.

“Samsung is a credible global OEM and we are delighted to be working with them, particularly on Samsung Electronics because we know how well they are doing in Nigeria.

“We have gotten a lot of reactions based on pricing and our interest is to make the products affordable and accessible, thereby developing the local market.

“TD believes in the future of Samsung in Nigeria and is investing a lot in this regard. In a couple of months, we will invite you to the unveiling of Samsung Electronics Assembly Plant. This plant will ensure product availability across board including consumer electronics such as TV sets, Refrigerator, Air Conditioners etc. as well as better pricing to fight competition.

“We want to be profitable but not greedy. The average reseller will get more benefits purchasing from TD because we supply guaranteed genuine products directly from the source with mega warehouses in the six geopolitical zones,” she disclosed.

In attendance at the event were major dealers in electronics, resellers and other channel partners who will expectedly enjoy juicy deals and offers that would further boost their sales and give them better margins.

Marketing and Advertising Executive of Samsung Electronics, Mr. Olumide Olakotan in an impressive slide presentation of major products such as the washing machine, air-conditioning machine and refrigerator made it clear that Samsung products are durable, genuine and have unique features that other brands lack.

A typical example is the Samsung washing machine which comes with amazing features such the eco-bubble technology that mixes air, water and detergent to create bubbles that penetrates clothes faster, with stayclean drawer for intensive stain removal, providing a cool wash while saving energy with ease of trouble shooting.

An interactive session with the resellers gave room for questions and suggestions, with General Manager, TD Mobile, Mrs. Serah Agah on ground to provide answers and proffer solutions to the questions accordingly. The session also witnessed a quiz competition which saw a dealer, Mr. Otthman emerged winner of a new Samsung S9+ phone.

To guide resellers on products pricing and other offers, Business Development Executive of TD, Mrs. Dami Sanya also announced the partnership scheme across the various states that hosted the dealers’ event including Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt.

ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

INEC says in 2019 ‘There'll be no electronic voting' - ITREALMS Online

ITREALMS:

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has declared they will be using no electronic voting system in 2019 general elections, reports ITRealms.

Addressing participants at the 67th World Congress of the International Press Institute (IPI) held in Abuja, weekend, Prof. Yakubu said although there will be no electronic voting, the process is already being engineered by technology.

"There is no electronic balloting in 2019. In other words, there will be no electronic voting in the next general election but technology is already being used in many aspects of the processes,” he declared, stressing that “Electronic voting should be the ultimate step in the chain involving five inter-related processes.”

He extended invitation to the international media that require longer time and logistics to prepare, saying that “you are welcome to cover our 2019 general elections.”

INEC, he said, believes the forthcoming elections will further underscore the maturity of our electoral democracy after the globally acknowledged success of the 2015 general elections.

Ayo Midele/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

102 of biometric enrolment

TalkingBiometrics@ITREALMS:

We introduced biometric enrolment in the previously edition, we shall now examine specific scenarios.

The environment where a biometric enrolment activity takes place is known as an enrolment center, and it can be as elaborate as a dedicated office, or as simple as a mobile van or a temporary location specifically designated for this purpose.

Temporary enrolment centres can be set up in schools, churches, mosques, markets, sports arenas, airports, train stations, shopping malls, or other convenient locations suitable for such makeshift arrangement. Factors that determine the location of a temporary biometric enrolment centre include safety of equipment and personnel, access to power supply, space for enrollee queue, etc. The type of biometric system adopted also determines whether it is suitable for outdoor use or strictly indoor operations.

Fingerprint technology is a widely adopted biometric system used in a number of enrolment cases. For effective fingerprint enrollment, clean scanners are essential to minimize failures and guarantee hygiene. Although there may be difficulties with easy collection of fingerprint samples from infants, it is generally accepted for most identity management schemes for verification because of the distinctiveness of human finger patterns from person to person. For this reason, fingerprints can be used in both single biometric verification systems and multi-modal systems where they are simultaneously used together with other biometrics such as facial or iris patterns. Multi-modal biometric implementations guarantee

…to be continued.

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

About The Columnist

Kenneth Okereafor is an accomplished ICT professional and Cybersecurity expert with over 20 years computing experience in Enterprise ICT innovation management in both private and public sectors. He holds dual PhD degrees in Computer Science (Cybersecurity & Biometrics) and Management (ICT Administration and Governance) with a first class Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering background. He is a United Nations trained Network Security Specialist and is proficient in Network Optimization, Data Protection, Biometric Systems and Digital Forensics. In addition to many published works and conference papers, Kenneth has participated at many international technology events, and has contributed to several national ICT development programmes including the design and development of the National eHealth Strategic Framework 2015 - 2020. He has strong research interests in Digital Innovations, Cloud Security, Cybersecurity Education, Biometric Liveness Detection and Green Computing; and may be reached at nitelken@yahoo.com

101 of biometric enrolment

TalkingBiometrics@ITREALMS:

 

In the digital identity domain, Biometric Enrolment is the process of using a biometric equipment to collect an individual’s biometric information for the purpose of using the captured information in future to recognize, verify or identify that individual. The person whose biometric information is so captured is known as the enrollee.

Biometric enrolment is a one-off operation and is not the same thing as biometric verification, recognition, or identification which can be undertaken as often as necessary. The initial enrolment process captures the individual’s biometric information, while future verification uses previously-stored information to verify or confirm his/her identity.

In practice, the biometric enrolment process involves the use of a specific biometric system to capture the biometric image in one of various scenarios illustrated in the three figures below.

Figure 1: Fingerprint captured using fingerprint scanners.

 Figure 2: Facial image captured using facial recognition system.

Figure 3: Iris pattern captured using appropriate eye biometrics equipment.

Each biometric equipment contains a scanner which obtains the actual biometric image from the enrollee. The processed image is changed into electronic form and stored on the equipment. Nearly all biometric equipment have the capacity to send the captured information to a remote database for security and centralized access.

…to be continued.

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

About The Columnist

Kenneth Okereafor is an accomplished ICT professional and Cybersecurity expert with over 20 years computing experience in Enterprise ICT innovation management in both private and public sectors. He holds dual PhD degrees in Computer Science (Cybersecurity & Biometrics) and Management (ICT Administration and Governance) with a first class Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering background. He is a United Nations trained Network Security Specialist and is proficient in Network Optimization, Data Protection, Biometric Systems and Digital Forensics. In addition to many published works and conference papers, Kenneth has participated at many international technology events, and has contributed to several national ICT development programmes including the design and development of the National eHealth Strategic Framework 2015 - 2020. He has strong research interests in Digital Innovations, Cloud Security, Cybersecurity Education, Biometric Liveness Detection and Green Computing; and may be reached at nitelken@yahoo.com

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

7 Pillars of biometric (3)

TalkingBiometrics@ITREALMS:

 

In this edition we discuss the last two pillars of biometrics: permanence and acceptability.  

6: Permanence

It is common to experience that some biometric features naturally undergo more changes than others, thereby resulting in a gradual reduction in their performance as time passes. Example, human voice is said to be affected by age, weather, and medical conditions. Fingerprints also get affected by injury, weather, cosmetics and corrosive creams. On the other hand, retina patterns remain significantly stable throughout an individual’s lifetime irrespective of eye defects. Retina is the reddish layer at the back of the eyeball which carries light impulses to the brain.

Permanence is the extent to which the trait resists the effects of aging and environmental conditions, and is able to withstand changes over a period of time. In making a choice of biometric for adoption, it is expected that the trait quality should remain minimally unchanged throughout the individual’s life, and that the modality should remain considerably stable over time.

7: Acceptability

Biometric acceptability is how readily users are able to accept to use it. The willingness to accept a biometric trait or to comply with its processes define the level of users’ approval and acceptability. There are a lot of reasons why people may choose a particular biometric in place of another, a few of them are listed below:

(i)            Intrusiveness: If it is difficult to use or if it requires special postures and repeated gestures, users will avoid it. Example, some facial recognition systems require the user’s face to be well illuminated, be tilted at an angle, maintain a certain distance from the camera, or put up a smiley face. Such requirements are regarded by some users as inconveniencing, compelling and therefore too intrusive.

(ii)          Hygiene: If the biometric system causes real or potential harm, users will be discouraged to use it. Example, during the ebola outbreak in some parts of Africa in 2014, fingerprint scanners were avoided due to hygiene concerns, leading to the adoption of facial recognition and other forms of contactless biometric systems as ready alternatives.

(iii)         Religious and cultural beliefs: Some cultural beliefs and religious doctrines forbid people from sharing public facilities such as biometric centres with the opposite gender other than their spouses. In such areas, biometric enrolment suffers great apathy.

(iv)         Data privacy: Biometric data is usually classified as private, therefore some users especially bank customers shy away from supplying biometric samples, especially where they suspect that adequate security provisions have not been made to protect their biometric information.

(v)          Limited versatility: A biometric trait or system is said to be versatile if it can be used successfully in a wide range of commercial and industrial applications without performance problems. The more versatile a biometric system is, the more it becomes generally accepted. Versatile biometrics are mostly used in voice, finger and eye-based recognition systems.

…to be continued.

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

About The Columnist

Kenneth Okereafor is an accomplished ICT professional and Cybersecurity expert with over 20 years computing experience in Enterprise ICT innovation management in both private and public sectors. He holds dual PhD degrees in Computer Science (Cybersecurity & Biometrics) and Management (ICT Administration and Governance) with a first class Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering background. He is a United Nations trained Network Security Specialist and is proficient in Network Optimization, Data Protection, Biometric Systems and Digital Forensics. In addition to many published works and conference papers, Kenneth has participated at many international technology events, and has contributed to several national ICT development programmes including the design and development of the National eHealth Strategic Framework 2015 - 2020. He has strong research interests in Digital Innovations, Cloud Security, Cybersecurity Education, Biometric Liveness Detection and Green Computing; and may be reached at nitelken@yahoo.com

Seven Pillars of Biometrics (Part 2)

TalkingBiometrics@ITREALMS:

In this edition, we would continue discussion on the characteristics that determine the suitability of a human trait as a biometric attribute, otherwise called the seven pillars of biometrics.

4: Circumvention or Security

A measure of how easy it can be to fool a given attribute is an indication of its suitability (or otherwise) for biometric purposes. Circumvention is a quality that evaluates the ease with which a biometric trait can be fooled or bypassed by an attacker and to what extent it can withstand being spoofed or defeated. The measure or degree of difficulty required to bypass a biometric trait is an indication of its security and usability as a biometric authentication technique, and also a pointer to how vulnerable it might become to spoof attacks and identity fraud.

It is common occurrence for two separate individuals to have the similar height or exactly same weight, but it is rare to obtain a perfectly similar facial pattern or fingerprint from two persons. This is why height and weight cannot be used as classical biometric attributes, but facial pattern and fingerprints can be used because it is difficult to obtain such similar values from different persons, hence they are more secure. It is also more difficult (but not totally impossible) to fabricate fake eyeballs or retina patterns than to obtain fake signatures. 

In this sense we say that even though both offer relatively high levels of security as biometric attributes, retina patterns are more difficult to circumvent or forge than signatures, thereby making retina patterns a more secure set of biometric attributes than signatures, and a more preferred option for use at maximum security facilities. Vein patterns have also been known to exhibit a more secure biometric characteristics than voice prints.

5: Performance

Biometric performance is a measure of the speed and accuracy of recognizing the trait while in normal use even in the midst of environment effects. It is an indication of how well the biometric trait is able to compensate for inherent losses during the processing of the samples. In general biometric performance is closely tied to its efficiency to successfully complete the identification or authentication processes in a timely manner while minimizing errors. 

As an illustration, it is faster and more probable to process 3D facial patterns from babies and infants than to recognize their fingerprints. This is because fingerprint formation naturally takes time to become fully-usable as a biometric trait, resulting in the poor quality of fingerprint processes often experienced with toddlerbiometrics. In this sense, we say that facialprints have better infant-related performance than fingerprints.

… To be continued next week.

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

About The Columnist

Kenneth Okereafor is an accomplished ICT professional and Cybersecurity expert with over 20 years computing experience in Enterprise ICT innovation management in both private and public sectors. He holds dual PhD degrees in Computer Science (Cybersecurity & Biometrics) and Management (ICT Administration and Governance) with a first class Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering background. He is a United Nations trained Network Security Specialist and is proficient in Network Optimization, Data Protection, Biometric Systems and Digital Forensics. In addition to many published works and conference papers, Kenneth has participated at many international technology events, and has contributed to several national ICT development programmes including the design and development of the National eHealth Strategic Framework 2015 - 2020. He has strong research interests in Digital Innovations, Cloud Security, Cybersecurity Education, Biometric Liveness Detection and Green Computing; and may be reached at nitelken@yahoo.com

Pillars of biometrics

TalkingBiometrics@ITREALMS:

Preamble:

In this edition, we will discuss seven characteristics that qualify any human attribute to be considered fit as a biometric item. These seven characteristics are together called the pillars of biometrics

Seven Pillars of biometrics:

Most people wonder what makes a biological characteristic fit for biometric use. For a human measurable quantity (trait) to be considered suitable for use as a biometric item (eg fingerprint or voice print), it must possess seven basic qualities, collectively called the seven pillars of biometrics. We shall review each of these seven qualities and how they determine what qualifies as a biometric quantity, but let us first understand the difference between a biometric trait and a biometric modality.

Biometric triats vs. modality:

We defined biometrics earlier in the first edition as the human physiological or behavioural attributes that distinguish humans and used as a means of verifying or authenticating their identity into information systems. A modality is the human identifier from where these biometric characteristics are extracted, but a trait is that particular physiological or behavioural characteristic that is so extracted from modalities. In most cases the modality is a physiological part of the human body eg the eye or the hand, but can sometimes be a behavioural pattern eg human voice, walking style, signature, etc. This is illustrated in Table 1 below and shows examples of eight of the most commonly-used biometric traits and the corresponding modalities from where they are derived.

1: Universality

Biometric universality stipulates that for any characteristic to be suitable as a biometric item, all humans should possess the characteristic, and the modality should adequately differentiate between any two users. The trait must be universally existent in all individuals as a biological feature or a natural human characteristic, and each potential user must possess it. This explains why a horn is not suitable as a biometric attribute because humans do not grow horns. In other words, a horn is not a universal attribute in humans.

In contrast, traits such as the shape of the palm (palm geometry), blood pattern at the back of the eye (retina pattern), and human voice, all qualify as good biometric traits because of their widespread nature and the commonality of their characteristics from person to person, hence their universality. Every normal human has a hand, an eye, and can talk respectively. These modalities exist in all humans and their characteristic properties vary from one individual to another and hence are very usable as biometric traits and in biometric systems.

2: Uniqueness or Distinctiveness

The uniqueness of a biometric trait refers to its ability to distinguish between different individuals and ensure that each potential user possesses the modality from where it is derived. This quality is a strong factor in evaluating the suitability of a biometric entity, and it specifies that the characteristic of the modality should not appear similar in any two people. For this reason, fingerprints differ from person to person even in identical twins, iris patterns also differ between parents and their children, etc. It is the uniqueness of these traits from person to person that contribute to make them acceptable as biometric quantity.

3: Measurability or collectability

Biometric measurability pertains to the ease of measuring and presenting the trait quantitatively. It is the degree with which the biometric samples can be acquired, analyzed and converted into digital templates for the purpose of identification or verification. Measurability emphasizes that the trait samples should be easy to detect and acquire, eg the ease of scanning to obtain a fingerprint image from a thumb or to retrieve iris patterns from the eye using simple technical instruments and systems such as a thumb scanner or a voice recorder makes these quantities suitable for use as biometric traits.

In practical terms the ease of collecting and assembling trait samples for biometric use is a very important consideration in adopting a given method because certain biometrics by their nature and appearance pose serious difficulties during collection. Eg medical conditions such as throat inflammation can affect speech quality and make high quality voice prints difficult to obtain, injured finger can increase the difficulty of acquiring fingerprints. Similarly scars, marks, tattoos (SMT), or age-induced wrinkles can affect the measurability of facial pattern from the face modality.

Coming up next: We shall discuss the remaining pillars of biometrics including security, permanence, and others.

Talking Biometrics @ ITRealms with Dr. Ken is a weekly online column providing biometric education and associated electronic identity awareness.

About The Columnist

Kenneth Okereafor is an accomplished ICT professional and Cybersecurity expert with over 20 years computing experience in Enterprise ICT innovation management in both private and public sectors. He holds dual PhD degrees in Computer Science (Cybersecurity & Biometrics) and Management (ICT Administration and Governance) with a first class Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering background. He is a United Nations trained Network Security Specialist and is proficient in Network Optimization, Data Protection, Biometric Systems and Digital Forensics. In addition to many published works and conference papers, Kenneth has participated at many international technology events, and has contributed to several national ICT development programmes including the design and development of the National eHealth Strategic Framework 2015 - 2020. He has strong research interests in Digital Innovations, Cloud Security, Cybersecurity Education, Biometric Liveness Detection and Green Computing; and may be reached at nitelken@yahoo.com

Related stories:

• Biometric 101: What you should know

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Electronic, video game festival opens

ITRealms:

The Electronic and Video Game Festival of Abidjan (FEJA) opened at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan, Ivory Coast., reports ITRealms.

The festival which opened on November 11th, ITRealms gathered, brought together thousands of gaming enthusiasts from all over Africa, around the theme: Video Games in Africa, it is Possible.

ITRealms also reports that during the month of September, avid gamers participated in qualifying tournaments, with a total of 256 players from 6 African countries selected to compete and try to win rewards of more than 10.000 euros.

The event, ITRealms reports, has attracted participants from the entire eco-system of gaming in Africa including those working in animation, game design and sales of gaming technology.

The nascent gaming industry in Africa is experiencing a boom with ever more African themed games, local studios and rapid growth in mobile game revenues.

Uma Ahmadu/ED, Ops

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Electronic fraud tops agenda at E-PPAN, CBN conference

ITRealms:

The alarming growth of electronic frauds is on top of the agenda at the forthcoming annual Payment Systems and Fraud Conference slated for next month in Lagos, reports ITRealms.

Industry observers recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and key stakeholders focused searchlight on efraud which allegedly caused the loss of over N4 billion in the country.

ITRealms recalls that with over N30 trillion transactions carried out on different e-payment channels by businesses and individuals in the country, stakeholders have expressed worries over cases of e-fraud, which they said discouraging some people financial inclusion.

Reliable sources at the Nigerian Interbank Settlements System Plc. (NIBSS) revealed to ITRealms that over N4 billion was lost to cases of e-frauds in 2015 alone.

ITRealms also reports that the conference with the theme: ‘E-Payment Fraud: People, Process and Technology’ would hold at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on November 8, this year.

For the Chief Executive Officer, E-PPAN, Mrs. Regha Onajite, the conference has been designed to be a veritable rallying ground for the financial industry to deliberate on payment systems and fraud knowledge in West Africa.

“This event will bring together senior level officers of the fintech sector, banking, regulatory bodies and public officers. Our core focus on this years’ edition is to tackle fraud in a proactive and top-down approach that involves people, process and technology. This will help create effective combats against the activities of the e-payment fraudsters in Nigeria,” she said.

Explaining specific objectives of the conference, she said the conference address the challenges posed by people’s laxity in divulging and compromising organisation information system to fraudsters.

“It will also re-appraise, reconnect and tackle the processes that compromised the entire system of e-payment hemisphere in Nigeria, and fashion out how organisations can invest in and deploy the right technologies to enable the industry be a step ahead of these criminals,” she said.

Onajite added that E-PPAN partners at this year’s event, apart from the CBN, include the Nigerian Electronic Fraud Forum (Neff), Committee of –Banking Head (CeBIH), Committee of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria (CCCOBIN), Information Security Society of Nigeria (ISSAN) and the Association of Chief Audit Executives of Banks in Nigeria (ACAEBIN), among others.

She said attendance for the conference was free urging persons to register for the event, which, she said, would be a melting pot of ideas to proffer solutions to the cases of e-fraud in the nation’s e-payment industry.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Lagos to offer Wi-Fi at public parks

ITRealms:

To strengthen electronic governance (e-governance) in the centre of excellence,the Lagos State Government has concluded efforts to provide Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) connection at selected public parks in the State, reports ITRealms.

Confirming this to ITRealms, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs Nike Animashaun,said that the development is to benefit residents of the state towards being ICT competitive, therefore making everyone to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

She explained that the connectivity would come in phases with the first phase expected to be deployed various parks in Ajegunle, Alausa and Oshodi respectively.

ITRealms gathered that Lagos State government came up with this idea in order to stimulate and encourage the interest of children in science and technology, although it was not yet clear if the service will be free.

Mr Adebiyi Mabadeje, the Commissioner for Science and Technology, said recently at the ‘2015 Ministerial Press Briefing in Alausa that the ministry would continue to provide advisory services for all Ministries, Department and Agencies on science and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

He also said the government was solidifying the state’s e-governance capabilities in other to conveniently serve its residents through ICT.

AbdulKareem Mueenah/GEE 

 

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!