The Minister of Communications, Barrr. Adebayo Shittu, says the forthcoming Oyo State Information and Communications Technology Trade Fair can trigger Information Technology revolution that is capable of making the state one of the leaders in the sector.
The fair, which comes up November 28, is being organised by Fun Factory.
During a meeting with journalists in Ibadan ahead of the fair, the minister promised to support the initiative and offer assistance to make it a success.
Punch quoted Shittu as saying that, “I am in support of the state trade fair, I am in support of the initiative. Whatever that comes up, it is a welcome development. We must take ownership of the project. I will throw my support behind the idea of the fair to make sure that it succeeds locally and internationally.
“As you are aware, I am committed to the development of the new age of technology in Nigeria. As part of my contributions to the ICT development in the state, I have built ICT centres in Ibadan and other parts of the state and will do more to ensure that the fair succeeds.”
While calling on the organisers to emulate Lagos State in the manner it was leveraging ICT, Shittu urged the organisers to partner relevant agencies in order to achieve the aim of the fair.
According to him, Nigeria as a nation has a lesson to learn from Lagos State’s partnership with Dubai as it develops the Smart City ICT Project.
The minister said, “Whatever transformation is going on in Lagos State was without the effort of the Federal Government. Lagos State is ahead of other states and that is why you see the state paying salary promptly. The organisers should learn from that as they make plan to hold the fair. The FG will take a cue from the Lagos experience and develop Nigeria’s own local content. We can no longer afford to stay behind in the revolution.”
A representative of the organisers, Mr. Delight Owoyemi, said Oyo State would benefit greatly from its nearness to Lagos, stressing that the fair would identify areas where the state could partner Lagos State to achieve a boost in ICT sector.
He said, “Oyo State and Ibadan is the third largest consumers of the ICT products in the country. The city is also close to Lagos, a city which has witnessed the ICT transformation. It is because of this that we are organising the fair in order to tap into the potential it involves.”
