ICT Can Tackle Issues Around Insecurity, Agriculture In Nigeria – Expert
An Information Communications and Technology (ICT) Expert, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said technology can tackle issues around insecurity, and agriculture in the country.
Yilwatda disclosed this on Saturday in an interview in Abuja
According to him, geospatial could be used to quell insurgency, banditry, Kidnapping, and other forms of insecurity in Nigeria.
“We have digital mapping and we have bandits moving in their numbers. To some extent, we have improved the quality of our maps and we should improve the resolutions of our imageries to detect movement of vehicles and criminal activities.
“Telecommunications is not on the exclusive list, meaning that state governments can make their independent policies on telecommunications. We can make policies to track telephone records, filter the data, and track communication and discussions,’’ he said.
According to him, we can work with internet exchange points to filter internet discussions that compromise the security systems.
The expert also proposed the use of night vision goggles that can see over three kilometers at night and the training of officers in the use of advanced security gadgets.
“The state governments can get their satellite mapping of areas that have threats, schools, communities, and track the paths of kidnappers even at night.
While recruiting medical doctors, there are minimum requirements, and that can also be applied in recruiting security personnel.
“We can put technology as a requirement for recruiting people in the police force or security agencies, minimum digital skill. For those people that don’t have it, we can do a bridging programme for them,’’ he said.
According to him, as long as the officers can make calls, send text messages, and use WhatsApp, it is technology and they are tech savvy already.
“Those skills are sufficient enough for them to apply for security management as end users. Nothing stops the Nigeria security architecture from bringing in experts to deploy technology, because the plan and strategy are with them but the technology is for the private sector, and that is the only way we can win this war. This war requires partnership, it is beyond the physical carrying of arms, deploying to the bush, and moving around the bush. We should always plan with technology to mitigate the activities of criminals, equip the police, and provide inland security.’’
He added that the country needs to address unemployment, and poverty, and encourage local production with cheaper tariffs and religious intolerance as underlying factors to insecurity.
In agriculture, he said ICT could be adopted to improve the agricultural value chain and ensure food insecurity.
He said that ICT can be applied from farm inputs to producers, to the logistics of distributing to wholesalers, retailers, and finally to the consumer.
“Satellite mapping can be applied in agriculture, to check for disease control, pest control, to know crops to plant in the right season, and that will boost production. These farmers will need a platform that requires training. This means that governments must think of training farmers. You train the farmers to have both vertical and horizontal application of technology to stakeholders of the agricultural value chain,’’ he said.
