By Daniel Tyokua
The convener, Abuja Smart City project, Dr Ahmed Badanga has said the sixteen years plan to make most of the activities in the Nation’s capital to be technologically driven would cover about 40 services.
He disclosed this during an awareness road walk in Abuja on Monday.
Badanga said the initiative is aimed at transforming the city into a SmartCity through the instrumentality of technology and Data where every service could be achieved on the go.
He explained that the plan will make the territory be like Dubai Hongkong that is technologically driven.
According to him, the project was being supported by some Federal Government agencies such as, FCDA, NITDA, Galaxy backbone, NBS, NCC and Ministry Of Communication.
Though Badanga didn’t reveal the whole 40 services identified for automation in the Federal Capital City and across the six Area Councils, but he listed smart mobility, smart Health, smart pharmacy as some of the services.
” The FCT Minister has done much in infrastructure. But it goes beyond just infrastructure. The idea is also to drive these infrastructure with technology. If he achieve this, it will be a legacy for him, and legacy for all the residents of FCT, so that things can be done seamlessly like in advance countries.
” The vision is, between now and 2040, we should be like Dubai, we should be like Hong kong, and we have the potential to achieve it. The entire project is about data awareness.
“Today is just a roadshow to tell residents of Abuja that we are committed to make Abuja a technologically driven city.
“We are going to be unveiling the strategic roadmap on SmartCity, also unveiling Logo for the SmartCity.
“The project is a combination of SmartCity and Data. So, we are partnering National Bureau Of Statistics, NBS, because they drive Data. ” Badanga said.
Collaborating, the Head Of ICT Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, Johnson Toyin Oke who noted that Developers all over the world are currently driving their services through technology, pointed out that the initiative will promote the automation of infrastructure development and other services in the municipal.
” We are much more ready to drive this process to make sure that we achieve making the FCT a SmartCity. The role of FCDA is very critical because there’s no way you can develop a smart city in the territory without the support of FCDA.
” Developers all over the world are driving their services through SmartCity initiative…FCDA want to key into the initiative of the SmartCity in the sense that all this our infrastructure development in the city, our municipal services has to be automated and data driven” Oke said.
On his part, , the Director Of Communication, National Bureau Of Statistics, NBS, Mr Chedi Sunday Joel, said the NBS is a key partner, because there can be no successful planning without adequate data both at the family and State level.
“There is nothing you can do without data. At the family level, at the household level, anything you are doing, you need data to back it. That is why NBS is invited to be part of it” Joel noted.
The Founder ioSafe Nigeria, Havel Corporate Concept, Mr Robb Moore was of the opinion that the SmartCity initiative will help the Capital City of Nigeria, Abuja to grow stronger in helping citizens access services seemlessly like what is obtainable overseas.
