By Ayodele Oni
As part of efforts to boost health and education services in Edo State, the State Government has embarked on linking local Governments to the State with uninterrupted internet service.
Moreso, as the state government recently directed public servants to work from home following astronomical rise in transport fares. It reduced working days to three per week.
Governor Godwin Obaseki, disclosed in Benin City that the ongoing fibre connectivity across the State’s 18 Local Government Areas, as well as other digital infrastructure development projects in the State, will improve access to quality healthcare services and positively impact the State’s education sector.
The Governor explained that in the past six years, there has been sustained reforms and programmes to guarantee the right physical and digital infrastructure to drive sustainable growth and development in the state, leveraging technology.
According to him, the fibre connectivity project is aimed at bolstering the government’s efforts at expanding its digital space and pushing up the commerce potential of all Edo local councils, thereby improving the livelihoods of the people and reducing rural-urban drift.
Apart from this, the government recently introduced 24-hour free Wi-Fi service in various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other public places within the Benin metropolis to provide unlimited Internet access to workers and other members of the public.
This is in the wake of the three-day weekly work schedule for civil and public servants, as part of efforts to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government.
The free Wi-Fi service is being expanded to other local government areas in the State, in line with its digital economy drive.
Obaseki reinstated his government’s commitment to leveraging technology to improve the delivery of quality services to Edo people.
“We are building a solid digital backbone for Edo people as this is a project that the future of Edo State would rest on.
“We are connecting fibres across every local government area to ensure connectivity and promote digital services as I would be the last governor to work on files manually.
“All the local government offices are linked as the project is going to link all our schools. Our students don’t need to buy books because, with their digital devices, they can assess their books.
“All our primary health care centers would be linked to enable us to improve our patients’ record, increase telemedicine service, job and training center services as we would deliver services to our people at their place of residence.”
