By Ben Adoga, Abuja
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Havel Corporate Concept, has taken steps to sensitise Nigerians towards the smart city project of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The group which is an affiliate of ioSafe Nigeria said its activities were to complement the minister’s efforts toward transforming Abuja into a smart city.
Speaking after a sensitisation road walk yesterday in Abuja, the Chief Executive Officer of the group, and convener of Abuja Smart City Project, Dr Ahmed Bodanga, said the exercise was to mobilise the FCT residents towards the project.
Bodanga added that following the workshop, the group would unveil the Strategic Road Map for the Smart City Project.
He commended Wike for his massive investment in infrastructure development and other sectors, noting that it was already transforming the city into a befitting capital city.
Bodanga added that beyond infrastructure, investment in technology also informed the working smart city.
He further observed that the project would involve the collaborative efforts of critical stakeholders like transport, tourism, health, and business, apart from the government.
He added that the conference was to create awareness of data and how it could be used to transform Abuja, including the six area councils into a smart city.
The CEO disclosed that Abuja already had the needed infrastructure that could be tapped into to make a smart city.
“The essence of tomorrow’s discussion is to bring stakeholders together to unveil the strategic road map on the smart city project.
“The strategic road map is going to contain what we are trying to do to make Abuja smart like any other smart city in the world. We are also going to be unveiling the logo of the smart city project,” he said.
He added that the project would take about 16 years to be delivered fully, but that the implementation would be in phases from 2024 to 2040.
He also noted that the vision was to transform Abuja into a technologically driven city like Dubai and Hong Kong by 2040.
While identifying partners for implementation, he said Galaxy Backbone, the National Information Technology Development Agency, the Nigerian Communications Commission, and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) among others would be crucial in the implementation.
Others, he said, included the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Federal Capital Territory Administration, and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
Founder of ioSafe Nigeria, Mr Robb Moore, who was in Abuja for the first time, lauded the smart city project.
Moore said that he was in Abuja from the US to share his experience from Silicon Valley on how to tap into technology to drive the city for the comfort of FCT residents.
“We are going to be talking a lot about smart cities and smart data at the conference and how to make Abuja and Nigeria grow. I will talk about what I have learned in Silicon Valley – growing companies, starting companies, selling companies, and how Nigeria can use technology to grow stronger,” he said.
Also, Sunday Ichedi, the Director of the Communication and Public Relations Department at NBS, said that data was critical to the success of the project.
Ichedi assured the convener of NBS’s commitment to provide all critical data needed for the project.
The Head of Information and Communication Technology, FCDA, Johnson Oke, said that the project would ensure that infrastructural development in the city and municipal services were automated.
