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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed all security institutions to immediately leverage Fifth Generation (5G) technology when deployed, to enhance security in the country.
He have the directive at the launch of the National Policy on 5G for Nigeria’s Digital Economy, at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.
The launched policy was presented and approved at the Federal Executive Council meeting on September 8, 2021, following a robust debate.
A statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, quoetd Buhari as saying the Federal Government would take full advantage of the opportunities that 5G provides for the economy, security and well-being of the nation.
He also allayed fears over health safety of 5G, affirming that such issues have been “effectively addressed” in developing a Policy that suits the country.
On the benefits of 5G technologies, the president noted it could support virtually every sector of the economy, including enhanced connectivity, improved healthcare, support for education while fostering smart cities, and boosting agriculture, among other advantages.
“It will also support security institutions with real time communication. 5G technology is significantly faster than earlier digital technologies and it provides near real-time communication. This can play a key role in boosting our efforts towards enhancing security across the nation.
“It will enable our security institutions to effectively deploy robotics, autonomous vehicles, augmented and virtual reality to address any security challenges that we face”, he said.
President Buhari explained that the National 5G policy includes a deployment plan to ensure that major cities across the country benefit from the technologies.
He added that the policy, which was in line with the commitment of his administration to supporting the digital economy as an enabler for the diversification of our national economy, also sought to make 5G a major driver of the economy, a catalyst for smart cities in the country and a platform for the creation of jobs that support digital economy.
He, therefore, assured investors that the Federal Government would continue to provide an enabling environment for their businesses to be very successful as Nigeria begins the roll-out of the technology.
