The Kogi State Government says it has entered into a partnership deal with some Chinese investors to tackle insecurity, especially within its borders.
The government explained that the investors wold provide the state with high technology security architecture.
It said the smart technology would capture movements in and out of Kogi State from a command and control centre to decimate terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements that may want to infiltrate the state and other 11 states it shared boundaries with.
The government said all stakeholders, including the Army, Department of State Services, Navy, Police and local vigilantes, among others, were carried along before it entered into the partnership.
The Chief Executive Officer, Kogi State Investment Promotion and Public Private Partnership Agency, Abdulkareem Siyaka, stated this at the opening of a two-day interactive workshop on ‘Kogi State Mission Critical Support System: A 21st century integrated smart state/security architecture,’ in Abuja.
Siyaka, who noted that the deal would greatly improve the state’s economy while also grinding insecurity to a halt in Kogi State and djoining state, said the project was expected to create over 685,000 jobs and attract over N591bn investment, yearly, as well as encouraging migration to rural areas in the state.
He added that a 5G licence had already been acquired by the state from the Nigerian Communications Commission for the project.
Siyaka said, “We are putting the state on the map, real-time, virtual, audio and visual, so as you enter Kogi State from anywhere, even though the bush, we will see you. I won’t go into too much details because of the sensitivity of the architecture. But the components will be manned by a command/control centre.
“The idea is that the moment you come into the state, we will see you; if you’re driving, if you’re walking, you have metal, if you’re talking, we will be able to pick it and then if you do something wrong, we will be able to intercept you using our field personnel on the ground.
“His Excellency, the Governor of Kogi State,Governor Yahaya Bello, is futuristic in everything he does. He is not a leader that jokes with the security of the state.
“He knows that, to develop Kogi State, he will need to be ahead of criminals by using artificial intelligence, by using super crime fighting infrastructure. We are bordered by 11 states we don’t have control over, so the best way to arm ourselves is to go into this kind of project.”
Bello, while declaring the workshop open, said he was confident that the project, which would be driven by 5G network and a 30Megawatt gas-powered electricity plant to be built by an American company, would not only ensure a safer Kogi State, but would improve its economic and infrastructural development, greatly.
Bello said, “There cannot be any meaningful development without adequate security. We are a serious government ready to harness every of our resources for the benefit of our people. We will continue to do our best. We have received several awards in terms of providing safety and security for our people. That is a call to do more and we will do more.”
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