From Christopher Oji
It was a gathering of intellectuals, stakeholders in security, investors from China, indigenes and friends of Kogi State. There, Governor Yahaya Bello unfolded his plan to pull millions of people, especially youths, out of poverty and use technology to tackle security challenges of the state.
After a two-day deliberations a memorandum of understanding (MoU), was signed between government and a Chinese firm, Hytera, on a 21st century integrated smart state security architecture.
Bello was excited: “The project will be driven by 5G network and a 30-megawatt gas plant. The project will also enhance the proficiency of security agencies in their investigation, as available gadgets would enable them to view the state from their respective offices.”
The initiative, according to the governor, became expedient since the state bordered 10 others: “It was also a proactive measure to enhance intelligence reports on threats by criminals. When we deploy this technology, I am of the belief that it is going to help not only Kogi, but Nigeria at large.
“I think in no distant time from now, Nigeria is going to be more secured than any other place. Both software and hardware are being purchased in quantum and we want to take a lead in Kogi State.
“This is going to be beneficial to Kogi State and by extension, all other North Central states and Nigeria at large. So, if we take care of Kogi State, we have taken care of the northern and southern parts of the country.
“This move is part of efforts to decimate terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements with the tendency to infiltrate the state and others it shares boundaries with. Government, in sealing this security control deal, ensured all stakeholders, including the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services, navy, police and local vigilantes were carried along.”
Representative of Hytera, Cuipjian Chun, said technology now rules the world and Kogi State should not be left out of the train: “The project, which is billed to kick off in the first quarter of 2023, will put Kogi in particular and Nigeria in general at par with other developed countries of the globe.”
Special Adviser to the Governor on Economy, Finance and Investment, who doubles as CEO, Kogi State Investment Promotion, Public/Private Partnership Agency, Mr Abdulkareen Siyaka, explained how the partnership would pull millions out of poverty and how Kogi State would become the envy of other states and African countries.
He opened up: “A lot of work went into the conceptualization and design of the project. Be rest assured that the deal with the Chinese firm, Hytera, would greatly improve the state’s economy and grind cases of insecurity to a halt in Kogi State as well as across adjoining states.
“This project is borne out of necessity in an environment where you have crime. Kogi State is actually the centre of the country. You can’t move from the North to South, East to West without passing through our borders.
“We have about 10 states that border us, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. That makes us very critical in the overall economic wellbeing of the nation. You can see, the last time we had flood issues in Kogi State, the whole logistics nightmare that ensued.
“That also applies to crime, social vices, religious crises and unrest. Crime is a fall-out of civilisation. The more a nation advances, the more the crime gets sophisticated.
“This project is called Kogi State Mission Critical, and what does it mean? It brings together security, investments and a smart state.
Meaning a state that is governed by digital technology.
“We are doing G-to-G business framework. Some months ago, we had the Chinese Government bringing in some of their key CEOs to the state. We have the Chinese Government coming in with Kogi State to have a G-to-G business forum.
“They brought in about 16 of their CEOs of top firms in China. One of the things they told us was that, if we can take care of security and if we can take care of power, we will have about N591 billion worth of investments in Kogi State.
“We have locked into the security component. We have an American firm that is going to build, on a short term, a 30-megawatt electricity power plant. It will be powered by gas to be used within the state.
That one will become operational on May 27, 2023. At that point in time, we will have 24-hour power supply in that will drive all of these components together.
“We are doing similar things with the four other providers. They are going to use this bay station for telecommunication. We also have an investment that will be located in the villages, rural areas. That will make their business thrive. They will give us part of the money they earn from operation.
That’s one way of raising funds. Another way of raising fund is all the business entities. There are big business operators operating from Kogi State. They are going to pay a token for that security cover. That’s number two.
“We have development partners like the World Bank and governments that will also pay. That will give us performance for result activities, we will tie this to that. At the Federal Government level, there are security-related grants and aids. We will apply to the Office of the National Security Adviser to also get that.”