Fayemi made this call while speaking at the second annual lecture of the Freedom Online held in Lagos, Thursday at Radisson Blu Ikeja under the chairmanship of Senator-elect, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu.
Gov. Fayemi who was represented by Akin Oyebode Jr, Special Adviser on Trade and Investment, dwelt on “Fixing the Economy: Less Politics, More Substance” in his keynote.
“While the Federal Government performs a very necessary role in developing our economy, the real federating units of economic activity are the states,” he declared.
Therefore, he urged the states as subnational to synergise and provide the support required to build an inclusive and robust economy exists.
“All these requirements will not deliver the required outcomes, if we cannot guarantee the security of lives and property,” he said.
Stressing that the task of securing the country completely is not done, “it is important to ensure we continue to place the required focus on this very necessary issue.”
He pointed out an often overlooked requirement, especially as the world enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is broadband, noting that Internet connectivity is now a necessity, not just for economic development, but also the delivery of governance.
“Therefore, we must improve our broadband penetration, from just over 30 per cent to at least 70 per cent, within the shortest possible time, because various studies have shown that a 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration leads to 1.5 per cent increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he declared.
As a Governor, one of the areas I am interested in improving, is how we can lower the cost for providers of the required infrastructure in this area.
Additionally, he said, to achieve the desired economic development in the State, they need to focus on education and healthcare.
“By improving the quality of education and health of our people, we are giving them an opportunity to compete in what has become a global marketplace for skills. We are also exploring practical ways of ensuring our students are also provided with the relevant digital skills to make them ready for the future of work,” he said.
Remmy Nweke/DoP
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