Deploy Technology To Fight Insecurity, Governor Bala Mohammed To FG
Bauchi state Governor, Bala Mohammed, has challenged the federal government to deploy technology to win the war against terrorism, kidnapping, and other forms of insecurity.
He stated this in a keynote address at the inauguration of the Northeast zonal office of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion on Monday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
The Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner of Education, Aliyu Tilde, said that Nigeria is challenged technologically on two fronts – internally and externally.
He said, “Today, very few of us, all over the country, do not sleep with two eyes closed because we are afraid of kidnapping, we are afraid of banditry. Kidnapping takes place just because of one technology that is available, nothing else. Remove that technology and kidnapping will be impossible. And that’s the GSM.
“Without contact with the family of the kidnapped victims, there will be no kidnapping, it will be a fruitless exercise. We have said this over and over and I think finally, our governors in the northwest have come to terms with this reality.
“Let me challenge you that are the engineers and my younger brother that is up there as a Minister (of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami), can’t we discover a way of getting around this problem of immobilizing or neutralizing the use of the GSM in the commitment against crime?
“How can we quicken track and pin down a criminal when he commits a crime with the GSM? Once you can do this, it’s over. We’ll go to our beds and enjoy our sleep. This is just one internal challenge and there are many like that.”
Governor Mohammed who also gave another internal challenge said unless universities across the world particularly, in Nigeria, embrace and invest in technology and go into e-learning, many of them will close down.
The Governor, however, commended NOTAP for doing a good job in ensuring acquisition and promoting technology in the country saying that the function is vital to the technological development of the country.