The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
has launched a multi-year National Smart Cities Initiative (NSCI) designed to
kick-start the drive towards using smart, scalable solutions replicable
nationwide to address a host of challenges including transportation, disaster
response, energy, healthcare, education and the environment.
According to the Head, Public Affairs at NITDA, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, the collaboration will involve eight cities nationwide in the
first phase, including Abuja, Lagos and one city selected from each of the six
geopolitical zones.
She also noted that representing the states and FCT at the meeting were the Sokoto
state commissioner for ICT, Nazir S. Zarummai, Sokoto state director of ICT,
Nasir Daniya, Senior Special Assistant (ICT) to the governor of Rivers State,
Willian Idoniboye, Special Adviser (ICT) to the governor of Oyo state,
Oluwafunminiyi Ajao and the Special Assistant (ICT) to the governor of Kaduna
state, Engr. Idris Muhammed. Representing the Federal Capital Transport
Authority were the director, BRT, Engr. Wilson Unogwu, Deputy Director, TS,
Engr. Etim Abak and Mr. Dele Yero, director, DRTS.
Already, NITDA and the Federal Capital Transport Authority
Secretariat are collaborating to design an integrated transportation system
under the auspices of both the National Smart Cities Initiative and the Global
City Teams Challenge (GCTC) program, a similar smart city initiative backed by
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the US
department of Commerce.
Speaking at the stakeholder consultative meeting held at the
NITDA conference room, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications, Arch.
Sunday Echono who was represented by the Director, e-Government at the Ministry
of Communications, Mr. Tope Fashedemi, noted the existence of research confirming
a positive correlation between e-government development and rapid national GDP
growth.
Fashedemi added that, the national e-government Master Plan
which is awaiting rectification of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), is a
demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment to the diversification of the national
economy through e-government strategies and programs.
He stated that, "leveraging on the importance of
e-government would boost the economy because there is a huge relationship
between a country GDP and e-government adding that the creation of Smart City
alone would ensure transparency and accountability in revenue generation".
He urged the selected pilot state government to support the
initiative of the Federal Government and come up with peculiar challenges
affecting their states and using Smart city initiative to solve such
challenges.
“State governments must be carried along in
e-government. This is a national agenda
which every state must cue into and it gladdens our hearts that NITDA is
driving the e-government initiative", he added.
Welcoming the selected ICT commissioners to the meeting, the
Acting Director General of NITDA, Dr. Vincent Olatunji who was represented by
Director of Infrastructure and Technical Support Services, Dr. Collins Agu said
the meeting cannot come at better time than now that the nation needs to shift
attention from mono economy runs only on crude oil.
The Ag. DG added that, “It is pertinent on us now to
diversify our economy and only through ICT we can achieve a lot. There are many
benefits of running a smart city which is only achievable through proper
e-government".
The Project team leader and Head, e-Government
Unit in the Agency, Mr. Bernard Ewah urged the selected states to come up with smart
projects ideas that are of importance to them as the Agency has no
predetermined smart project for any state.
Ewah stated that the Agency would rely on existing
relationship with Global City Team Challenge, (GCTC) to achieve the objective
of the smart city projects.
“Because of our budgetary constraint, we decided to kick
start this initiative with a pilot scheme among the selected states. Whatever
assistance we get from GCTC and other international donors would be channeled
toward achieving the Smart city projects", he said.
In his reaction, the honourable commissioner for Sokoto State
of Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Nazir Zarummai spoke on the need for
NITDA to factor in the specific requirements of each state, adding that NITDA
needed to play a crucial role in aligning such requirements in the Smart City program.
The meeting closed with an commitment to leverage several existing NITDA structures and programs including NITDA zonal offices, the software testing centre in Lagos, the “eGovFrame” software development platform available free of charge to local developers and end-users and the World e-Government Organization for Cities and Local Government (WeGO) membership and resources open to local developments to develop e-government capability and capacity. NITDA will play the role of project facilitator for all projects developed under the smart city initiative although project ownership will remain with the states.
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